Aura Master: Kanto and Orange Islands
by The BadAss Writer
Summary: Three years before his journey begins, Ash Ketchum finds a Riolu who claims that he is his master and that he is the Chosen One. A bewildered Ash can only go with the flow as he begins his journey to become the most powerful Pokemon Trainer the world as ever seen. Rated M for swearing, violence and future sexual situations.
1. I Thought He Was Taller

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon or the concept for Aura Bond. Pokemon belongs to Satoshi Tajiri and Aura Bond I believe was first used by dragonwolf12 on his story 'The Chosen One's Journey'. I only own the plot.**

* * *

" _Is that him?"_

Yes. That is him, youngling.

" _I thought the Chosen One would be…"_

A pause.

"… _taller."_

He was born nine years ago. Unlike pokemon, humans grow at a slower rate and they reach their prime when they reach eighteen years of age.

" _Oh, right. Forgot that little detail. So what am I supposed to do exactly?"_

Teach him everything about Aura: how to harness it, how to use it and how to fight with it. And he in exchange will help you to grow stronger. I believe his dream is to become a Pokemon Master, so I am sure that he would surround himself with powerful and loyal friends. And you will be one of them.

" _Well. I can't refuse the God of Creation and all Pokemon, can I?"_

A deep chuckle.

I suppose you can't. It is not like this would be bad for you. The Chosen One's path will be filled with adventures and interesting ordeals so you should look up to this.

" _Oh you bet I am looking forward for this. And I get a master to ser to boot. This going to be awesome. Thanks for the opportunity, Arceus."_

It is all for the sake of the world, youngling.

 **-AM: KOI-**

Like most nine year olds, Ash Ketchum was very interested in Pokemon. Ever since he could form coherent thoughts and could reason he knew that his life was the fantastic creatures that habited the world in which he lived: To be friends with them, to command them in battle and to reach the peak of the world alongside them. That was his dream. To become and Pokemon Trainer and to get the rare title of Master.

And as luck would have it, his mother was very knowledgeable of Pokemon, having her own degree in Pokemon Anatomy, Ecology and Behavior along with the title of Professor. She had a ranch which size rivaled that of Samuel's Oak in Pallet Town and also owned a chain of restaurants across Kanto. That meant that Ash and his mother were pretty well off and it was very easy for Ash to be in contact with pokemon of all kinds. Sadly, since she wasn't the local professor, she couldn't give him a Pokemon. He had to wait three more years for that anyways.

Ash frowned as he sat at the edge of the clearing that composed most of the ranch leaning against a tree with a book about all the pokemon types. He could hear the chirping of pidgeys very high in the sky along with the sound of the many pokemon that called the ranch their home. He lifted his head to see a bunch of tauros, nidoran and their evolutions, pikachu, rattata and raticate and many others. All living peacefully on the ranch.

His frown lessened somewhat at that but it was still prominent somewhat. The reason for his distress was because it wasn't his mother who would be giving him his starter pokemon when it was time to start his journey. That duty belonged to Professor Oak and Ash could freely admit that he didn't like him nor his grandson Gary. They were both arrogant and were jealous of his mother's success, meaning that he was bullied a lot by Gary the few times he had met him.

Due to this, Ash was afraid that the Professor wouldn't allow him to become an official Pokemon trainer since he was the only one authorized to give kid from pallet their licenses but his mother had assured him that he had to give one to everyone that passed the test or he would have to deal with the League. And Ash only needed to get the license because he could change sponsor whenever he wanted and to whomever he wanted his sponsor to be. His mother was the obvious choice. That was the reason why he was so focused on learning everything he could to secure a passing grade and force Samuel Oak to give him a license and a starter pokemon when he reached twelve years of age as per the law.

" _Why are you so distressed, young human?"_

Ash jumped slightly at the light, male sounding voice coming from his right and he whipped his head in that direction. His eyes widened when he saw a small, blue, canine pokemon. It had black legs and torso, a blue tail, and a yellow collar. It had rounded bumps on the backs of its forepaws. It had a black "mask", with long, black prostitutions framing its face and red eyes. It was standing on its toes instead of its entire foot.

The pokemon cocked his head to the side as his eyes locked with Ash's. _"Also why are you looking at like that?"_

Ash idly noticed that the voice sounded on his head before he scrambled to his feet, the book that was on his lap landing closed on the ground. "You can talk!" He exclaimed, amazed at understanding this strange Pokemon that he had never seen. He knew that it wasn't from the Kanto or Johto region since he made sure to memorize them all by name.

The jackal like pokemon shook his head. _"No. I can't talk. I'm merely projecting my thoughts into your mind with the use of Aura, something that you and I have in common."_

Ash scratched his head in confusion. "Aura? What is that? And what kind of pokemon are you?"

The blue and black pokemon sat on the ground and for some reason, Ash found himself doing the same. " _Aura is the energy that exist in every living and no living thing in this planet. It has many uses and you have the biggest potential to learn to harness it. As for what kind of pokemon I am, well. I am a Riolu and you, Ash Ketchum, are my master."_

Ash blinked, bewildered and thoroughly confused.

Riolu sighed audibly. _"This is going to take a while."_

 **-AM: KOI-**

Three years have passed since his strange meeting with Riolu and Ash could see that from that day until this one, things had been significantly interesting and different for him and his mother. She was shocked to see him walking into her office with such a rare pokemon at his side. He explained to her that he found him in the woods and the pokemon just began to follow him around. She had accepted the story and let him keep Riolu around, thinking that it would be an invaluable experience for him.

And it was after that day that his training in the usage of Aura began. Riolu thought him many things from sensing and seeing through his Aura, to use it to walk on vertical surfaces and on water, using it to create barriers, channeling it through his body to enhance his muscles and bones, forming empathy links and Aura bonds and performing a long range attack called Aura Sphere. Riolu also thought him how to fight, making him learn a style that focused on speed and precision. This was all done without his mother's knowledge as he didn't want to worry her.

Ash also kept up with his studies and learned as much as he could about Pokemon. He even learned about pokemon from the other regions much to his mother's astonishment because on how adamant and diligent he was on learning. Thanks to all of that, he managed to pass the qualification test for a trainer's license with a perfect score. Oak had been so shocked and Gary so jealous that it had made him chuckle just to be reminded of it.

And today was the day that he was going to receive his starter pokemon from Professor Oak along with Gary and two more that also got a passing grade. It was early in the morning, around eight, but he was up and ready to go get his starter. Ash looked at himself in the mirror, grimacing slightly at the sight of his now red eyes. Riolu had explained that due to his Aura and being so close to him when they trained, he acquired that trait from Riolu. It was disconcerting, and his mother had been worried sick about it. But since the change didn't have negative effects, it had been mostly ignored.

" _Are you trying to imitate me with the color of your clothes, Ash?"_

The twelve year old turned towards Riolu, who was on his bed, leaning against the wall with one knee pressing against his chest and the other leg extended. His arm rested on his raised knee and he was giving Ash an amused look. It was true. Ash had chosen to wear clothes that matched the coloring of Riolu. He was wearing long, black cargo pants that were kept up by a brown utility belt and were tucked into brown boots. He was wearing a long sleeved blue shirt under a black vest that had a gold colored zipper and he had black and gold fingerless gloves on his hands.

Ash shrugged his shoulders. "It's not my fault that your colors go well together. If I do look like I'm trying to imitate you then is pure coincidence, nothing more," replied Ash nonchalantly as he tried to comb his spiky, messy black hair only to get it even more disarrayed. He sighed before picking up a black, blue and white colored hat that he put on. He adjusted it son only a few strands of hair were left out. He turned towards Riolu and spread his arms. "So, how do I look?"

Riolu snickered before answering. _"Like me."_

Ash glared at him before sighing. "I walked right into that one." He shrugged his shoulders before walking towards the door. "I'll go get the pokedex and my 'official' starter from that Oak Jerk. I'll be back in a few minutes to get my license and pokedex linked to mom's lab and then we are out. I don't want Gary's whining of he sees you so please stay here," he said, grabbing the doorknob of his room.

Riolu nodded. _"Right. And Ash?"_

"Yes?" Ash turned around to face Riolu only for his right hand to shot up and catch a blue sphere with white tendrils of energy on its core a few inches away from his face. It hovered centimeters away from his hand and he scowled at the innocent scowling Riolu before he dissipated the Aura Sphere. "Asshole," he muttered under his breath as he stepped out of his room, ignoring the snickering of his first pokemon friend.

Ash passed the kitchen and saw that his mother was not in there so that meant she was on her office. His mother was always busy with her research and studies so that didn't surprise him. It was a good thing that she had some people that helped her around the lab and they took some work off her, which also helped on making her have time to spend with him, which he appreciated. Another reason why the Oaks and the Ketchums disliked each other was because Daisy, Samuel Oak's granddaughter and Gary's older sister, preferred his mother's area of study and was one of her aids. It helped that she didn't share the arrogant traits of the rest of her family. She and Ash got along pretty well actually.

As he walked towards to Oak's ranch, Ash absently waved at the people who greeted him. Pallet town was a very small town so everyone knew each other at least by name. He glared at the building that had a windmill functioning on its back. He doubted that Oak would give him one of the normal starters just to spite him but Ash didn't really care. He just wanted a Pokemon so he could get on with his journey.

It took him ten minutes to reach the lab and his mood soured when he noticed the brown haired boy standing there with crossed arm and a smirk on his face. Much to Ash's dismay, Gary noticed his presence because his smirk widened as he leered at Ash. "Hey, loser! I don't know why you bothered coming here since only real trainers are going to get a Pokemon from grandpa," said Gar snidely.

Ash raised an eyebrow at him. "Do I need to remind you who got the best score out of the two of us?" He smirked when Gary's arrogant face twisted into a scowl. "I thought so," said Ash with a chuckle as he walked pass him, ignoring the growl coming from Gary's throat.

Ash wanted to ignore Gary so he focused on the pretty girl that walked up to him. She had long brown hair and warm green eyes that shone as she looked at him with a smile on her face. She wore a blue tank top and a white skirt. On top of her head rested a white hat and on her feet were some sneakers that matched with her tank top.

"Ash! What's up?" She asked after she gave him a hug in greeting. This was Leaf Green, one of Ash's human friends and she is one of the four soon to be trainers that were going to start their journey today. The last one was standing a few feet away from them. It was a short boy with blond hair and blue eyes that were framed by glasses. Ash only knew that his name was Zack and that he barely passed the test.

Ash and Leaf talked about what they wanted to do on their journey. Leaf surprised him when she told him that she only wanted to travel through all Kanto, catch a team she could train and bond with and then go to another region and do the same. Her goal was to catch a team of Pokemon off each region and explore them all, which was very interesting. Ash would do kind of the same, only that he would focus on catching and training pokemon along with completing the league circuit so he could participate in the Conferences.

They only had to wait for a few more minutes for Oak to come and get them and Ash had to hold back a sigh when he noticed the distaste on Oak's eyes when they landed on him. He glared at his back as they went up the stairs and into the lab. He ignored all the machinery and technological devices since he had seen all of them and much better on his mother's lab so he was hardly impressed. They soon made it into a wide room that looked like the research area of the lab.

Oak cleared his throat to get their attention. "Good morning to all of you. It's a good thing that everyone came early to get their starter pokemon since I got a lot of work to do so it'll be on our best interest get this done quickly. I believe that everyone requested an specific pokemon as their starter and thankfully I managed to procure the ones you requested," said Oak with a smile and a discreet glance towards Ash.

The black haired boy gritted his teeth in anger at that. That was most likely the excuse Oak was going to use to not give him one of the standard rare starter that the new trainers from pallet got which were Bulbasaur, Squirtle and Charmander. And it didn't seem farfetched since one of the non scoring questions of the test was 'What Pokemon would you like to begin you journey with and why?'.

Oak was a first grade jerk. But he was a smart and cunning first grade jerk.

He watched with a frown as he gave Gary a squirtle, Leaf a bulbasaur and Zack a charmander. They all released their pokemon in a flash of white and smiled at them, petting them as they began to bond with them. Ash ignored the smug look on Gary's face as he turned his attention towards Oak who was holding a plain pokeball towards him. He coul clearly see the desire to not give him one at all on his eyes but Ash ignored it as he took the pokeball.

"Since you didn't specify what pokemon you wanted as your first I took the liberty to pick one for you. I recently caught it so it would be a little hard but I suppose some one that scored perfect on the qualification test wouldn't mind the challenge," said Oak with a clearly forced smile on his face.

Ash withheld a scowl before he released the pokemon inside the ball. He watched as the white energy coalesced into the distinct form of a pikachu. The yellow rodent with pointy ears and tail shaped like a thunderbolt looked around curiously before its eyes twitched and it looked up at Ash. It's eyes narrowed and electricity sparked from its red cheeks as it glared at Ash.

The black haired trainer sent a discreet look towards Oak and he noticed the expectant look on his face. It was clearly obvious that he expected for Ash to try and pet Pikachu so he could get shocked but Ash was many times smarter than that. When one dealt with pokemon that didn't trust humans, one needed to find the cause the root of the distrust and try to fix it. Thankfully, Ash could communicate with pokemon thanks to his aura.

He knelt down and sent a tendril of aura from his forehead to Pikachu's, connecting their minds temporarily. When an Aura bond formed, this tendril was constantly connecting the minds of pokemon and trainer. _"Hey there?"_

Ash smirked when Pikachu blinked at him. _"Umm, hi? Why am I hearing you in my head, human?"_ Pikachu asked wearily. Ash noticed that his voice sounded like that of a male boy that was almost reaching ten years of age.

Ash smiled kindly at him. _"The same reason why I can hear you in mind and understand you perfectly, Pikachu. I am training to become an Aura Guardian and I can use Aura to talk with Pokemon and understand them. I happen to notice that you were not happy to see me even if we haven't met before so I was hoping for you to tell me what the problem is and if there is a way for me to fix it."_

Pikachu sniffed the air and turned back to glare at the Professor, who was looking at them with confusing. _"That old guy beat me up with an Alakazam and stuffed me in one of those stupid balls just because I was chewing on power cables. He tried to 'tame' by force so I shocked him a few times but he would have his Alakazam disable me. I just want get out of here,_ " said Pikachu angrily. In the outside, he was calling his name wildly and pointing at Oak as his cheeks sparked, much to the confusing of everyone.

Ash nodded his head after he sent a glare at Oak. _"Well we can fix that pretty easily. Oak gave you to me as an starter Pokemon so I am going to start my journey across the region. If you come along with me and promise to listen to me and train to get stronger, then you get what you want,"_ proposed Ash with a smile on his face.

Pikachu stopped glaring at Oak before giving Ash a considering look. _"On one condition."_

" _Name it."_

" _I don't have to go inside a pokeball."_

" _Deal,"_ agreed Ash easily with a nod of his head. He smiled as he scratched Pikachu behind his ear, earning a purr. _"Let's form an Aura Bond so we can keep speaking like this,"_ Ash suggested and Pikachu nodded its head. Ash sent a pulse of his Aura through Pikachu and Pikachu sent it back. An Aura Bond was pretty easy to do and it also gave the Pokemon the ability to manipulate raw Aura. _"Done."_

" _That was really weird,"_ said Pikachu as he scratched his ear before running up Ash's arm and settling on his shoulder. Ash chuckled at that and stood up. He enjoyed the astonished look in Oak's face as he was sure he was not expecting for Pikachu to be so accepting of Ash. He was really thankful for Riolu's appearance three years ago otherwise he wouldn't have had it so easy.

Oak scowled at his plan not going as he planned. He didn't know what Ash had done to get that rodent's trust so easily. He was hoping for the Pikachu to shock him and for Ash to demand another Pokemon so he could deny it since it was the only way he could not give it to him but his plan backfired. Now Ash had a powerful Pikachu at his command. He shook his head. It was not worthy to get worked up by someone like Ash.

Oak coughed again into his fist as he pulled out for pokedexes and handed it the trainers. He made sure to give Ash one that only recognized pokemon from Kanto and Johto. He gave Gary an international one since he was his grandson he deserved it. The other two got normal ones that would identify pokemon from other regions but wouldn't give them as much information as Gary's. "That's a Pokedex. It is a digital encyclopedia that contains all kinds of information about all the Pokemon that had been so far discovered and thoroughly studied. It will also serve as an ID once you set it up with your personal information," explained Oak before he reached into a bag and pulled out twenty shrunken pokeballs and gave five to each one of them. "Remember that unless authorized by me, your sponsor, or a league official, you can only carry six pokemon with you and if you catch a seventh one the pokeball will automatically get locked until you send it to me or you send one of your other pokemon."

" _You won't be getting any of my pokeballs, jerk,"_ said Ash out in the bond link. He heard Pikachu snickering and he was soon joined by Riolu, and Pikachu was startled if the sharp shift he felt was anything to go by. _"Oh. I forgot to mention it. You are not the first one I bonded with. I have a Riolu back at home and he was the one who taught me how to use Aura on the first place. While you are my first 'official' pokemon, he was my first friend. I hope I can add you to that list too, Pikachu,"_ said Ash warmly through the link.

Pikachu chuckled and scratched the back of his head. _"I'd like to get a decent human as a friend and you seem like one. We'll see after we get out of here,"_ said Pikachu giving another glare to Oak.

Ash nodded before he turned towards Oak. "Thanks Professor. Also, my mom told me to tell you that she wanted to be my sponsor. I hope that the transaction won't be an issue," said Ash and he only got a nod and a dismissive wave from the old man. Ash shrugged before he walked out of the lab. He noticed that the others had left already except for Gary who stayed behind for some reason. Probably to say goodbye to his grandfather in private. He shrugged. It wasn't like he cared.

Ash briskly made his way out of the lab and down the stairs and began to walk back to his home. He ignored the curious look sent his way by the townspeople as he confused on talking with Pikachu and Riolu through the bond. He learned that Pikachu wanted get as strong as he could and beat a raichu as a Pikachu before evolving. He told Pikachu that they were going to train very, very hard and Pikachu just replied that he was looking forward to it.

Ash arrived at his house and went through the living room and kitchen before going out through the back. He smiled as he beheld the ranch. It was very wide and oval shaped field with a lake at its edge that occupied half of it. There was a tree line that indicated the beginning of a forest and Ash could see smalls mountine a few kilometers away. He had gone training there with Riolu a many times.

" _Woah,"_ exclaimed Pikachu through the bond as he looked around in wonder. _"This place is pretty big and it looks nicer and bigger than the old guy's. How did your mother afford all this?"_ He asked as they passed the herd of Tauros, who mooed at Ash before they went back to eating the grass.

"Mom inherited a pretty bug fortune from her parents and she used half of it to open a chain of restaurants called 'Ketchum's'. Not very original but it is pretty famous across Kanto and Johto. She used all her income to get a degree and set up this ranch. She is very smart when it comes to spending and inverting money," said Ah out loud as they were not surrounded by people.

Pikachu nodded in understanding and he finally noticed the big building that was just next to the forest. It was painted white and blue and had many windows. It had two windmills and behind it and many solar panels on the roof. Pikachu looked at it in awe as they approached it and made their way inside. As they walked through the halls, Pikachu noticed a few people looking at pokemon that were sitting or lying on tables. He spotted a tangela, a clefairy and a ditto. The pokemon seemed content as they let the humans examine them with different devices so Pikachu knew that this lab was only functioning to investigate further on Pokemon and there were no ill intents.

They went up the stairs until the las floor and they walked the long hallway and Ash opened the wooden set of doors without knocking. Pikachu stopped two females staring at a laptop and who presumed to be Riolu sitting at the desk, absently throwing a rubber ball against the wall and catching it only to repeat the process.

"Riolu I swear that if you break something I'm going to use Ash's account to pay for it," warned the older looking of the females. She had brown hair that fell to the middle of her back. She was very well endowed and her figure was wrapped in a blouse, a skirt that reached her knees and a lab coat. Pikachu supposed that this was Ash's mother.

"Don't be so hard on him," chuckled the other one when Riolu whined as she typed on the laptop. She had brown hair but on a lighter tone. Her green eyes shone with amusement as she glanced at Riolu who stopped playing with the ball. She was also very well endowed but she was wearing a polo shirt and a tight blue jeans. She was also wearing a lab coat.

Ash frowned at the older one, his mother. "Don't blame me for what he does, mom," said Ash as he stepped towards them, shoving his hands into his pocket.

They looked up at him and Pikachu groaned when they squealed at the sight of him. Both human and Pokemon watched as they stopped what they were doing and walked around the desk and towards them. The young brown haired girl grabbed him around his mid section and pulled him into a very tight hug. It was kind of comfortable to Pikachu since her breasts were very soft. So he purred as he nuzzled his face into her.

"Oh my god he is so cute," said Daisy in a gushing tone as she continued to hug the Pikachu into her chest. She giggled as he began to purr due to her ministrations. "I din't know my grandpa owned a Pikachu!"

Ash shook his head as he scowled. "Well he recently captured him, in a less than pleasant manner and haven had time to tame him yet. Oak told me that Pikachu tended to shock him and I'm sure he was hoping it was the same with me. Luckily, Pikachu only had it against Oak," said Ash with a chuckle at then end.

Delia nodded with a frown on her face as she inspected the pikachu. She knew a lot about Pokemon biology so she was looking for anything wrong with it. She noticed that while a little bit on the skinny side, which was most likely due to an irregular income of food, there was nothing wrong with it. Its fur was shiny and glossy, indicating good health and the color of his cheeks was a very lively red, showing that his stores of electricity were in order.

"At least he gave you a decent pokemon on good health. And it's not like pikachu are weak pokemon. They can't take a lot of hits sure but they can be fast and can hit hard. You just have to train them well, something that I'm sure you are going to do," said Delia with a smile.

Ash nodded his head as he watched Riolu yanking on Pikachu's tail lightly to get his attention. Pikachu looked down and Riolu motioned with his muzzle towards another part of the room. The yellow rodent looked disappointed before nodding and squishing off from Daisy's embrace. He landed on all fours and soon rodent and canine walked away, growls and squeaks coming out as they talked. Ash couldn't understand what they were saying since they weren't using the bond to talk. He shrugged. They were probably getting to know each other better.

The black haired trainer pulled out his pokedex and handed it to his mom. "Can you make the transaction now? I don't want to be sponsored by Oak for too much longer," said Ash with a twist of his mouth.

Delia nodded with her own unpleasant expression on her face as she went to sit on her desk. She connected the Pokedex on her table and set to work. "Oak is sure petty. He gave you a sorely outdated Pokedex. It is the last model but it has the first software so I'm sure he did it himself. I didn't know your grandfather could be so petty Daisy."

The brown haired girl rubbed her arm in embarrassment as she looked to the side. "Well, he likes to think himself as the best in anything so when you came around and got a better lab and better equipment along with much more money he got very jealous. And since I prefer to work with you than with that's only more fuel to the fire. That's not excuse to act like this though," she said with a frown on her face.

"I'm just glad that I don't have to deal with him anymore in the future and I hope that I don't meat Gary on the road," said Ash with a smile as he turned to look towards his two pokemon. They were sitting and Pikachu had an amused glint on his eyes as Riolu growled and pointed at him occasionally. It seemed like he was telling Pikachu of the many times he did something wrong while training with Aura.

Delia stood up from her chair and unplugged the pokedex before walking towards Ash and giving it to him. "I got it linked to the system in my lab and erased any trail of Oak's tampering. It also has the latest software and information about any pokemon from any region. It will also tell you what moves a pokemon can learn and how to teach them to them with examples and demonstrations on videos. I already put your information on it so you don't have to worry about that."

Ash smiled at her in thanks before he pointed the Pokedex at Riolu and then at Pikachu. It beeped before an mechanical androgynous voice was heard.

Riolu. The Emanation Pokemon. The aura that emanates from its body intensifies to alert others if it is afraid or sad. Its body is lithe yet powerful. It can crest three mountains and cross two canyons in one night. This Riolu is male and has the ability Inner Focus. He knows the moves: Endure, Quick Attack, Foresight, Counter, Force Palm, Blaze Kick and Aura Sphere. Note: Blaze Kick is an egg move.

Pikachu. The Mouse Pokemon. This pokemon has electricity-storing pouches on its cheeks. These appear to become electrically charged during the night while pikachu sleeps. It occasionally discharges electricity when it is dozy after waking up. This Pikachu is male and has the ability Static. He knows the moves: Thunder Shock, Thunder Wave, Quick Attack and Double Team. Note: This Pokemon has the egg move Volt Tackle but it has not been unlocked yet.

Ash whistled as he grinned, looking down at his two Pokemon who were know standing looking at him. Riolu looked rather smug with what the pokedex said about him and Pikachu looked like he wanted to blast the damn thing for apparently stating that he was weaker than Riolu. While not untrue, Pikachu had a lot of potential, even more now that he could manipulate the raw Aura within his body.

Daisy was looking at Riolu with wide eyes. "It knows Aura Sphere? Why hasn't he evolved yet?" She asked in confusion as that was the indication that a riolu was ready to become a Lucario.

"That's a good question actually," he said, giving Riolu an inquisitive look getting a shrug from the blue and black jackal.

" _I want to get more experience before I evolve. It's gonna be necessary after a turn into a Lucario, trust me."_ Ash heard on his mind and he nodded his head slightly so Delia and Daisy didn't notice. He was not ready to let them know he could understand Pokemon, nor the explanation that would follow.

Delia reached into her pocket and presented Ash with a black model of an X-Transceiver. "I got this one custom made for you. It's linked to the system, in my lab and your pokedex. I'm sure you know how to use it, also, you see who is slightly thicker than a normal model. You can use it to send me your at anytime. Also, I upped the maximum carry for you from six to eight," she said with a mischievous smile on her face.

Ash nodded his head, a matching smile on his face. "That means I will be able to carry around ten Pokemon at the time."

Daisy cocked her head at him. "Ten?"

Ash nodded again as he pointed at Riolu and Pikachu. "They are not going to be on their pokeballs so I'm going to leave them here. That reminds me…" Ash trailed off ash he pulled out a pokeballs from the ones Oak gave him and chucked it at Riolu. A flash of white and it dinged after shaking three times and Ash opened his palm making the pokeball float towards him. He tapped the release bottom and another flash of white and Riolu materialized again, shaking his head and blinking. "Now, you are officially my second pokemon."

Riolu glared at Ash after the dizziness wore off. " _A little warning would've been appreciated thank you,"_ he said sarcastically through the bond.

Pikachu gave Riolu a sympathetic look after glaring heatedly at the pokeball. " _Now can you see why I hate them so much? I can't feel my body at all and it's dark, but bright at the same time so it is confusing. Also, I feel way smaller than I actually am. It feels like the walls are coiling around me and…"_ Ash tuned off Pikachu's ramblings at that moment.

" _Now that is an exaggeration."_ That was the last thing he heard from Riolu before he closed off the bond for himself.

Daisy nodded before she went to the corner of the room and handed him a yellow and black backpack. He ignored Riolu's snickering as he took it and strapped it to his back. ""There you have a tent, a rope, a map, some food for the road and two changes of clothes. When you reach viridian you should stock on potions and other healing items for your Pokemon," she told him.

Ash nodded before he turned to Delia who tapped him on the shoulder and handed twenty pokeballs to him. "Stock on some more pokeballs too as I want you to catch some ground and rock type pokemon for the new rocky terrain I built beneath the mountains. There's a cave too," she told him before wrapping her arms around him and then kissing him on the forehead. "Now get going and have a safe trip. Make me proud like you always do."

Ash smiled at her with pink cheeks that turned red when Daisy also gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Knock 'em dead tiger. I'll be rooting for you." She winked at him and she and her mother giggled as he just turned around and went out of the room. Pikachu and Riolu exchanged confused looks before they shrugged and went after their trainer.

Pikachu jumped and took a sitting position on his back and he patted Ash's cheek to get his attention. _"What was all that about?"_

Ash blushed before he just looked straight ahead. "Mom was being mom and Daisy just confuses the hell out of me. I don't want to talk about it," said Ash too quickly, only adding to Pikachu's confusion.

Riolu was calmly walking beside Ash. He shrugged when Pikachu sent a confused look his way. _"Human mating ritual confuse as much as they do you Pikachu so I'm not your guy."_

Ash just got redder in the face as he stepped out of the lab but it settled down when he entered out of his home. He knew that his mother and Daisy knew that he had a big crush on the latter and she apparently enjoyed teasing him about it, which brought rounds of amusement for her and his mother. That teasing had started a year ago and he still wasn't use to it but he was sure that someday he would learn to deal with it.

Ash's hopes of having a peaceful start to his journey were washed away when he noticed Gary Oak standing on the middle of the street looking at him with crossed arms and arrogant expression on his face. His squirtle was standing diagonally in front of him and was trying to imitate his trainer's pose, which was amusing if the mental chuckles of Pikachu and Riolu were anything to go by. Ash groaned as he began to speak and it was only a matter of second before he noticed Riolu standing at his side.

"I knew you were going to come here to speak to your mother. Don't think that out are going to escape a battle with…" As he trailed off, Ash noticed how his eyes widened when he spotted Riolu. "What pokemon is that?" He asked in wonder and shock as he pointed at Riolu with his pokedex.

Riolu. The Emanation Pokemon. Its body is lithe yet powerful. It can crest three mountains and cross two canyons in one night.

Ash frowned at the mechanical female voice. It seemed like Oak had given Gary an international pokedex seeing that it had some information on Riolu.

Gary glared at Ash as he snarled. "How did you get a Sinnoh native pokemon that is even rare on that region?" He asked petulantly as his hand tightened at his side and around his pokedex.

"My mother gave him to me as a birthday present. Don't know how she got him," he lied smoothly before raising an eyebrow when he noticed a second pokeball on Gary's belt. He nodded his head towards it. "It looks like your grandfather did the same for you."

Gary shook his head before smirking. "It doesn't matter anyways. I have the two best pokemon in the world to start my journey and I'm going to prove it too you. Two on two single battles," said Gary before stepping back, creating a safe distance in between them. Squirtle stayed put and got into a ready position in front of Gary, a similar smirk on its round face.

Ash grinned before he looked at Pikachu. "You up for it?" This was an opportunity that he will not let go to waste. He was going to knock down Gary off his pedestal with this pokemon battle and the fall was going to be very, very painful for Gary.

Pikachu sighed but nodded. _"This is going to be so boring,"_ said Pikachu as he jumped from Ash's shoulder to land on all fours and sparked his cheeks as he glared at the tortoise.

Gary looked worried for a moment before he smirked. "I'll go first. Squirtle, use bubble!" Gary pointed dramatically at Pikachu, which made him look kind of ridiculous to Ash, and his Pokemon complied. It reared its head back and shot a barrage of bubbles at Pikachu with decent speed.

"Evade them with quick attack. Then use thunder shock," said Ash calmly and Pikachu carried his order perfectly. He evaded the barrage of bubbles nimbly, his body enveloped on the white energy of quick attack as he jumped and ran away from the path of squirtle's attack. When the blue turtle stopped firing bubbles like a machine gun, Pikachu's cheeks sparked and he called his name before a think arc of electricity was shot and it hit Squirtle a second later. The turtle cried out in pain before it got swirl on its eyes and fell back, unconscious.

Ash deadpanned as Pikachu ran back towards him and took his previous position on his backpack. "That was certainly unimpressive and underwhelming," said Ash, making Pikachu and Riolu snicker once again.

Gary got red in the face as he returned his squirtle in a red flash of energy before pulling out his other pokeball. "That was because that rat is an electric type and Squirtle is a water type. Let's see how your pitiful dog compares to this one!" He declared angrily as he released an Eevee. It called its name once it was out and got to a ready position in front of Gary.

Ash nodded to Riolu who shrugged and went to stand in front of Ash as well with an air of boredom around him. Gary's eevee was clearly young judging by the light brown coloration of its fur so Riolu wasn't particularly excited about this match up. Not that he could blame him.

Gary, once again, pointed at Ash's pokemon before giving his order. "Tackle it with quick attack!" He almost barked. The Eevee nodded its head and yipped its name again before charging at Riolu at a fast pace, but it was still slow compared to Pikachu's earlier demonstration of the attack.

Ash sighed. "Endure and counter," he said simply. Riolu nodded before he locked eyes with the eevee. A few seconds later the brown furred evolution pokemon reached him and Riolu easily raised his arm and stopped its charge with no real demonstration of strain. Eevee's eyes widened as Riolu's body was highlighted with red energy before it was hit in the face with a paw. It flew back for a few feet before hitting the ground on its back and bouncing into its stomach. It's eyes were swirls denoting its state of unconsciousness.

Ash smirked at Gary's gob smacked expressions as both of his pokeballs fell from his limp hands. He said nothing as he walked pass the unconscious Eevee and then Gary with Riolu, who was cleaning nonexistent dust from his front paws, in tow. Ash whistled a merry tune as he walked towards the gates of pallet, the snickering of his two friends prominent on his mind as they made their amusement known through the bond they shared.

Winning felt good.

 **-AM: KOI-**

"Alright that's enough walking for today," said Ash once they reached a plain a few hundred feet away from the main root. The sun was high in the sky and Ash looked at his X-Transceiver. Its digital clock told him that it was a few minutes pass one in the afternoon so he guessed that they could stay here and train during the afternoon. They will start to encounter trainers by tomorrow anyway.

Ash sat down on the grass, his hat and long sleeved shirt protected him from the harsh sun. "We are going to train now," started Ash as he reached into his backpacked and pulled out three sandwiches and handed one to Pikachu and one to Riolu and they began to munch on them now. "There are a few things that we are going get you guys started on."

Pikachu had already half of his sandwich as he looked up at Ash with interest. _"What kind of things?"_ He asked before taking another bite of his sandwich.

Ash pointed at Riolu who finished off his sandwich. "He is going to teach you how to manipulate your Aura, which is only going to take a few minutes since it comes easily and naturally for pokemon. Then when you get that down I want you to channel it into your stores of electricity in your cheeks to make them stronger and bigger. Let's see if we can turn your thunder shock into thunderbolt in a week by doing that for two hours every day. Then we will work on teaching you Agility," he said before taking a bite out of his own sandwich.

Pikachu nodded his head as his eyes gleamed as he finished off his sandwich. " _Neat,"_

" _What about me?"_ Asked Riolu with a raised paw and a curios expression on his face. It felt kind of weird being the one getting instructed by who he considered his student but as a trainer, Ash had more knowledge about this kind of things so it was on his best interest to listen to him and pay attention.

Ash looked at him speculatively, taking bites out of his sandwich, for a few seconds before he answered. "I guess you should work on strengthening force palm. Then we can teach you bulk up so your physical moves get stronger," suggested Ash.

Riolu found that acceptable and he nodded. That would make fighting much easier. "And what are you going to do?" He asked as he and Pikachu stood up so they could begin training.

Ash began to rummage through his bag but he answered nonetheless. "I'm going to arm up my tent and then look for stones and sticks so we can have some fire. Then I'm going to shadow spar and then work on forming that staff with my aura thing. I can keep it for ten seconds without too much focus now," said Ash he pulled out the materials needed to build a tent.

Riolu and Pikachu looked at each other before shrugging and walking towards another part of the plain. They had their own training to do.

 **-AM: KOI-**

"Meowth! Catch up to that rodent and use bite!"

"Don't let it Pikachu. Create an opportunity thunder shock," said Ash calmly as he and Riolu watched the battle between cat and mouse with serene expression on their face. The two pokemon were enveloped in the energy of quick attack as the trainer's meowth followed Pikachu across the field. It was obvious that Pikachu was faster as he was easily keeping his distance from his chaser, who was growing frustrated.

Yesterday's training had been enlightening really. Like Ash had said, Pikachu only needed half an hour on couching on how to manipulate raw Aura and then he spent two hours channeling into the pouches on his cheeks were his electricity was stored. After that they adjusted Pikachu's control over the significant, but not big, increase on his reserves and then they worked on teaching Pikachu Agility, which was already coming along nicely.

After Riolu worked on getting his Force Palm stronger and learned how to do bulk up, which basically was to strain your muscles and then fill them with energy to keep then strained without consciously thinking about it to make you stronger and faster, he and Pikachu had an spar. Pikachu was naturally faster than Riolu but Riolu had more versatility so it was stalemate in which one and the other couldn't get a decisive hit so they had called it a draw after ten minutes. While Riolu was clearly stronger and had more experience, Pikachu was just too hard to hit. And Ash was going to make sure to cultivate that trait like he was doing now.

After a few seconds of hearing Ash's command, Pikachu used double team to create a two doubles of himself that ran alongside him. This confused the meowth and it stopped for a second to consider which w=-one was the real one so he could attack it and that cost him. It turned sharply to the right when it heard a loud cry and was hit by a powerful arc of electricity. Ash noted that the thunder shock was a little thicker and brighter than yesterday so his method to use aura to strengthen Pikachu's electric attacks was working.

Pikachu stopped using thunder shock the moment the cat he was fighting went unconscious. He ignored its blackened and charred form as he happily ran towards Ash and jumped onto his favorite position on his backpack.

Ash raised an eyebrow when the trainer glared at him before returning his downed pokemon and running away. He sighed. It looked like Gary wasn't the only sore loser around. He blinked and then smiled when he heard the ding coming from his pokedex. His pokedex alerted him every time money was added to his personal account. He still didn't know how that worked and how the League could keep track of all the battles but he was sure it had something to do with the pokeballs and the digital trainers ID's.

You have received the sum of two hundred and eighty three pokedollars. Keep up the good work.

Ash smirked as he went towards the nearby river to fill up his can with water. He made sure that it was clean before bending down to pick up the vital liquid. "We are on a roll today; wouldn't you say so, guys?" Ash asked Pikachu and Riolu who were drinking water from the river. It was already mid afternoon and they had won all the battles they have had so far, which were ten counting this one.

Riolu nodded before he gulped down. _"You could say that yes but I personally think that this 'fights' had been rather boring except for that feisty little feisty rattata that caught my leg when I attempted to kick it. I think I burned her tongue when I activated Blaze Kick,"_ said Riolu as he rubbed his leg reminding the rather painful bite. It was a good thing that the rodent hadn't known Hyper Fang. It would've been really nasty if it did.

Pikachu clanked at Riolu with some annoyance. _"You call that hard? What about that Aipom that thought my tail was something he could yank to his heart's content. It hurts a lot when my tail is treated roughly, you know?"_ Pikachu cradled his tail tenderly against his body, rubbing it and whispering nothings to it.

Ash stood up and Pikachu jumped onto his favorite spot. "Don't worry too much about your tail Pikachu. One you perfect agility then we are going to get you started on Iron Tail, sound good?" He asked with a grin and Pikachu kept silent. Only Riolu's snickering could be heard through the bond.

Ash began to follow the river, walking placidly as he traded banter with Riolu and Pikachu through the bond. They were only a few hours away from Viridian and if they kept following the river they were going to reach it directly according to the map of the X-Transceiver. Ash had played with all of its applications, except the pokeball transferring one, and he was astounded in all the things he could do with it.

After almost half an hour of walking and talking with his two friends, Ash frowned as he looked up to see the sky darkening with gray clouds. He didn't know that there was a report for raining today but he remembered that it was still summer so rains were fairly common during this time of the year. He began to walk faster, not wanting to get caught in the rain but as his luck would have it, he was stopped before he could even give ten more steps.

"Hey you! Are you up for a battle?" Ash looked up to see an orange haired girl wearing shorts and a yellow tank top sitting on a bike with her foot on the ground to keep her steady. He noticed that she was at least two years older than him and she also was very skinny. He cocked his head as he remembered Daisy at the age of this girl and she had been much better filled than this one.

Ash shook his head, both to get rid of his thoughts and to answer the girl. "I'm sorry miss but it is about to rain and I don't want me or my pokemon getting wet," explained Ash as he made to walk away. He already had his fill of battling for today. He just wanted to reach Viridian, get a hot shower, talk with his mother and Daisy for a bit and then go to sleep on a soft bed.

"Are you walking away from a challenge? I didn't know that trainer these days were cowards," said the orange haired girl with a very infuriating smirk on her face. She pulled out a pokeball and her smirk widened a fraction as she enlarged it.

Ash glared at her before looking down at Riolu. "One more?"

Riolu was also glaring at the orange haired girl. He didn't like for anyone to insult Ash and Gary could attest to that. He hoped he still had nightmares about those pranks he pulled on him. The one with glowing red eyes on the closet was his favorite one. " _You know it."_

Misty lost her smirk for a second as the unfamiliar Pokemon stepped up but she shook her head. "One on one. Standard rules. I suppose you know them," she taunted but Ash kept silent. She shrugged before she threw three her pokeball without getting off the bike. "Misty calls Staryu!" She released a brown and yellow colored starfish that had a red gem on its center. Its gem pulsed with energy as it made a weird and deep squealing noise. "Water gun!" The star fish pokemon reared its top, center appendage back and from it a pressurized stream of water was shot, aimed directly at Blaze with pin point accuracy.

Ash crossed his arms over his chest. "Don't get hit and get close with quick attack," said Ash in a bored fashion as he leaned his weight on his right leg. Riolu nodded and tilted his body to the side to avoid the water gun attack before it began to run towards Staryu, his body enveloped in the white tendrils of energy that were signature of quick attack.

Misty's eyes widened as she saw this. "Rapid spin!"

Ash smiled. "Blaze kick towards the river," commanded Ash.

Staryu stopped trying to hit the nimble Riolu with pressurized jets of water before it began to spin rapidly on itself and then it shot itself towards Riolu. The jackal pokemon stopped on his tracks and his eyes narrowed as he began to time the precise moment in he would act. Then, his eyes widened and he jumped before his right leg caught on fire and he delivered a very swift roundhouse kick to staryu when it was on him that sent it spinning towards the river and it splashed into the river heavily.

Misty's eyes widened at seeing that but she soon smirked. "It looks like you are an idiot after all. Staryu are water type pokemon and now that it is in the river it is many times stronger, Staryu, use whirlpool!"

Ash smirked. "Walk on it and then end it with force palm."

Misty's eyes widened in shock. "What?!"

Staryu rose up in the water before it forced its will upon it, making it spin rapidly forming a whirlpool that was at least fifteen feet in diameter. The staryu then forced the water to go up and then arch as it was directed at the stationary form of Riolu, the black lumps that framed his face rising as he used his aura. Just when the wide drill made of water was about to hit him, Riolu jumped above it with a front flip and landed on the swirling waters and began to run towards Staryu, much to Misty's astonishment.

Riolu quickly reached the end of the technique and jumped, doing another quick flip before he landed nimble in front of a apparently shocked staryu. The jackal smirked as he pressed a glowing palm on Staryu's jewel and then released the pent up energy that he accumulated previously. The red jewel cracked as a shockwave made the water of the river ripple violently. The star fish pokemon went slack as the jewel began to pulse on and off steadily, denoting unconsciousness.

Ash grinned at Riolu who walked on top of the water with his defeated opponent over his shoulder. The black and blue pokemon deposited it in front of the slaw jacked Misty before he made his way towards Ash calmly, as if nothing he just did just happened. "Well done buddy. Now you have one victory over Pikachu," said Ash with a chuckle.

Pikachu glared at Ash. _"Not my fault that you chose him to fight this one instead of me. Besides, that was pretty damn cool. I give him a nine just because he is acting like he just didn't walk on water."_

Ash shrugged before fist pumping Riolu in congratulations. He noticed Misty recalling her pokemon and she opened her mouth wide to probably yell something at him, if her red face was anything to go by but she soon was interrupted by a load roar that made Misty's red face go to white in an instant. She closed her mouth and began to ride her bike away from the river at fast as she could.

Ash, Pikachu and Riolu turned towards the river only for it to explode outwards, gallons of water rising up towards the sky and then falling down on, getting them a little wet since they jumped back the moment the water rose. The three looked up and their eyes widened in shock when they came to face with a gigantic, and certainly furious, Gyarados. It roared again when it spotted them and a sphere of molten orange energy began to form on its maw and it was aimed right at them.

Aura and adrenaline flooded through Ash's veins as he jumped into action. "Riolu, Aura Sphere. Don't let it charge up the Hyper Beam. Pikachu, use your strongest thunder shock and fire it into its mouth," said Ash so fast that he momentarily wondered how his tongue didn't twist on itself. His two friends jumped into action.

Riolu jumped high in the air and formed a blue sphere with white energy at its core roughly slightly smaller than his body before he fired it towards the charging Hyper Beam. The two collided and Riolu was pushed back due to the explosion that resulted of destabilizing a devastating attack such as the one the Gyarados was threatening them with. Riolu landed roughly a few meters behind Ash and he noticed how his trainer was pushed back also by the explosion. He was also covering his face with his forearm and his free hand was keeping his hat on his head.

When the smoke cleared it revealed a singed Gyarados but it was still glaring bloody daggers at them. It reared back and roared and Pikachu took his opportunity to jump high in the air and launch an incredibly powerful thunder shock into Gyarados gigantic mouth. As it screeched in pain, Ash noted that these Particular Gyarados could swallow him whole if it desired. Pikachu stopped firing his thunder shock and when he did, the twitching Gyarados fell into the ground, making the ground shake a little as dust was kicked up and the water of the river rippled outwards too.

In spite of all the injuries, the Gyarados was still conscious but instead of glaring at them, it was looking at them with an odd glint on its eyes. Ash approached it and when he was a few feet away from it, he sent a tendril into it.

" _Um, sorry about that but you kind of attempted to kill us with an Hyper beam. If you are wondering why you are hearing me in your head then it is because I'm training to become an Aura Guardian and I can use it to speak with pokemon,"_ said Ash sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head.

He heard a raspy, female chuckle on his head and he stared at the gyarados. _"I must apologize too. I get grumpy when I'm woken up from my naps forcefully. You guys were the first ones on sight so I decided to take my anger on you. But you managed to defeat me. Quite easily I might add,"_ she stated as she looked at them with the same glint on her eyes.

Ash chuckled in embarrassment. " _Well… It was mostly thanks to how easy is to make a chargin hyper beam unstable. That and I have an electric type, a type that your species have a double weakness to,"_ said Ash, downplaying it heavily.

Gyarados chuckled once again. _"True but you and your pokemon still need to be strong to defeat me in combat no matter what. I want to get stronger. Would you help me? I'll pledge my loyalty to you and you only if you help me become the strongest Gyarados there is."_

Ash's eyes widened and he nodded dumbly. "Let me heal you and scan you first," said Ash before he walked towards the mighty sea serpent and pressed a palm against her horn. He used his Aura to from a Heal Pulse that cured all the damage she sustained except the fatigue. When that was done, Ash sent a pulse of raw Aura into her and she returned it, forming an Aura Bond and giving Gyarados the ability to manipulate raw Aura.

Ash brought his pokedex out and pointed it at Gyarados as she eye smiled at him.

Gyarados. The Atrocious Pokemon. Once it begins to rampage, a Gyarados will burn everything down, even in a harsh storm. Rarely seen in the wild. Huge and vicious, it is capable of destroying entire cities in a rage. This Gyarados is female and has the ability Intimidate. She knows the moves: Hyper Beam, Hydro Pump, Dragon Rage, Twister and Crunch.

Ash then pulled out a pokeball, enlarged it and threw it at Gyarados, who kept her eye smile. It got sucked into the ball in a flash of white energy. The ball shook three times before it dinged, signifying a successful capture. Ash opened his palm and he stared at the pokeball.

"I just captured a Gyarados on my second day as a trainer," he stated evenly as he continued to stare at the pokeball on his hand.

" _Pretty much, yes,"_ said Riolu through the bond in the same even tone.

Pikachu chuckled nervously. " _Cheer up guys. It could've gone way worse than this."_

The sky flashed.

Thunder rumbled.

Heavy rain began to fall.

Angry caws and chirps were heard not too far away.

Ash and Riolu glared at Pikachu and the yellow rodent shrunk back with more nervous chuckled. " _Sorry."_

Gyarados chuckled in amusement. It was a terrifying sound indeed.

* * *

 **So… A Riolu appears out of nowhere, teaches him how to wield Aura, fight and talk to pokemon for three years and then he receives a Pikachu from Oak, who doesn't like him because his mother is richer and more knowledgeable than him, that he befriends on the spot. Then links his pokedex with his mother's lab and after that he utterly beats Gary on his first Pokemon Fight. And then he goes and captures a Gyarados in the second day of his journey. An interesting start for an interesting trainer.**

 **Ash is not going to travel with Misty and Brock as you probably noticed. He will have two traveling companions but not for a little while. Another thing, the only pokemon that Ash is going to get from anime are Pikachu, Pidgeot, Bulbasaur, Squirtle and Charizard and they are all going to evolve into their final stages. Also, when Ash goes into other regions, don't expect him to catch other Pokemon of the same type. He already will have a very powerful team so it won't be necessary. He will catch wild and rare Pokemon for his mother to study though.**

 **You already know me and how much I like lemons so these series is going to have them. But not for a while, the first one will probably be at the end of this story, and I assure you that is only going to be Ash with other girls, not female Pokemon. Don't know if there's going to be incest but you are warned if that's the case.**

 **Go read the next chapter!**


	2. Do I Really Do That?

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon or the concept for Aura Bond. Pokemon belongs to Satoshi Tajiri and Aura Bond I believe was first used by dragonwolf12 on his story 'The Chosen One's Journey'. I only own the plot.**

* * *

The automatic doors of the Pokemon Center in Viridian City opened to reveal the scowling visage of Ash Ketchum. He was thoroughly soaked and judging by the expression on his face he was on a bad mood. _"I didn't know that stolen Pokemon would follow who stole them in the first place without an issue,"_ he said through the bond with annoyance as he began to make his way towards the counter. He ignored the amused looks sent his way by other trainers that were lounging on the TV area.

Riolu shook himself dry before following Ash to the counter with a mental chuckle. " _Don't blame the officer Ash. She is probably very stressed over this thieves Although I admit that keeping us standing in the middle of the street was bit over top,"_ said Riolu before sniffing and then sneezing.

Ash nodded his head in agreement. _"I know. And I'm not annoyed at her. I'm annoyed at a certain yellow rodent that jinxed a storm and a flock of spearows with a fearow on us,"_ said Ash, glaring at said rodent who was perched on his shoulder, using his backpack to be in a comfortable position.

Pikachu glared right back at him. _"Hey don't put the blame on me. Besides, we got out of there unscathed and I somehow unlocked my hidden ability. Because I absorbed that lightning bolt I can use thunderbolt now instead of a week like you were planning. You should be thanking me instead,"_ said Pikachu with huff and a turn of his head.

There was a very amused chuckle as Gyarados piped in. _"I think the only one we could blame it nature itself. And she doesn't care much of what humans say about what she does,"_ she said with a giggle.

Ash just sighed as his Pokemon began to talk about nature and how much of a bitch she was of all things. He was surrounding himself with nut jobs and he doubted that these one are going to be the only ones. He finally reached the counter and he smiled at the pretty and pleasing form of Nurse Joy as she greeted him.

"Good evening and welcome to the Viridian Pokemon Center. How may I help you, young man?" She asked him as she sent him a worried look, noticing the soaked state of him as he two pokemon.

Ash returned her smile with one of his own. "I just need a room. My pokemon and I are exhausted and we would like a warm room and a nice bed," said Ash as he petted Pikachu under his chin and patted Riolu on the head. He discreetly noticed how the amused looks became interested and confused ones when they spotted Riolu.

Nurse Joy nodded and gave him a card key. "The rooms are on the second floor. That one opens room one hundred and twenty nine. It will be on your right at the end of the second hallway." She then looked at Pikachu and Riolu when they sneezed. She took a look at them and noticed, much to her approval, that they were on a very good health. She took out a vase and took out two pills. "Here give them these so they don't get the flu or a fever because of the rain," she said as she gave the pills to the two cute Pokemon. They looked at them curiously, before shrugging and then popping them into their mouths, making Joy giggle.

Pikachu and Riolu grimaced. " _Bleh!"_

" _This tastes horrible. I'm not having another one of this again."_

Ash smirked as he heard Gyarados chuckling in amusement before he nodded at Nurse Joy. "Thanks for that Nurse Joy. Have a good night," he cocked his head at her and she waved at him, following him with her gaze until he disappeared as he went up the stairs.

Ash made it to the second floor and the room Nurse Joy gave him rather quickly. He entered and locked the door before making his way into the bathroom. He told Pikachu and Riolu that they were to get dry first if they wanted to get on the bed and then he got into the bathroom of the room. He stripped naked and put his clothes under a heat dryer before stepping into the shower and turning on the hot water.

Ash sighed in content as he enjoyed his hot shower, smiling in amusement as his pokemon continue to talk about nature and how much they wanted to kick her ass. Ash made sure to clean himself thoroughly before he stepped out of the shower. He grabbed a pair of shorts and a tank top from his backpack and put them one before stepping out of the bathroom. He deadpanned when he saw that Riolu had Pikachu on a headlock.

He shook his head as Pikachu got free and they went back to wrestling on the bed. Ash sat on the comfy chair of the room that was in the middle of the bed and a lamp before bringing the X-Transceiver up to level with his face and dialed towards his mother's office. Knowing her and Daisy, they were probably still working.

It rang only two times before the black screen became the pretty visage of his mother. She smiled and her eyes shone with happiness at the sight of him. "Hi there, honey. How are you?"

Ash returned her smile with one of his own. "Hi mom. I'm pretty good actually. I'm at the Pokemon Center in Viridian already. How is it going over there?" He asked as he noticed her disheveled hair.

Delia leaned back into her chair, getting comfortable. "We are still analyzing the cells of Ditto and Clefairy. We are getting close on a breakthrough on how Ditto can transform on any pokemon and why Clefairy and other pokemon evolve with the use of the moon stone. I can feel it we are close," said Delia with a gleam on her eyes as she smiled.

Ash nodded his head. "Congratulations. And how is Daisy?"

Delia giggled behind her hand. "She says that she wants to move in with me so she doesn't have to deal with Oak talking her into working with him instead of with me every single moment she spends at their house. I wouldn't mind really and we would have more time to study and research if that was the case," said Delia before she straightened up and gave him a smile. "But enough about home, how were the first days of your journey? Anything interesting happened?"

Ash chuckled as he rubbed the back of his head with his other hand. "Well… you call catching a Gyarados and a flock of spearows leaded by a fearow interesting?" He asked her with a tight smile on his face as he chuckled nervously.

Delia's mouth opened before it closed and then she crossed her arms over under her prominent bust, pushing it up. "Go on tell me more," she said evenly.

Ash gulped before taking a deep breath. "Well a girl and I were having a pokemon battle by the river and it apparently got loud enough to wake up a gyarados that was napping. The girl fled the moment she heard Gyarados roar but I guess I was too shocked to do the same. I managed to defeat her because she was slow on charging a hyper beam and managed to disrupt it, making it explode on her face. Then Pikachu attacked her with a thunder shock and that was enough to weaken her and I captured her easily enough," explained Ash.

Delia nodded her head slowly. "Alright. And what about that spearow flock?"

Ash rubbed the side of his head. "Well they attacked us because apparently the fight with Gyarados disturbed them. It was already raining so they were easy picking for Pikachu and his thunder shock to pick them off. It was a good accuracy practice for him," he said with another nervous chuckle. He didn't need to tell her that Pikachu brought down a freaking thunder bolt from the clouds to finish the flock in one good blow after they got tired of running away from them. "After they were all kncked out I captured them. There are twenty one spearow and a fearow."

Delia nodded again, visibly relaxing when Ash assured that he was in no immediate danger. "And what are you going to do with the flock? I'm sure you are going to keep and train the Gyarados," she said teasingly.

Ash nodded his head. "Yep. I was hoping you would want them. And let me tell you, Fearow, the leader of the flock, is absolutely terrified of Pikachu, so I made him promise that you would give him a steady income of food if he let you and your aids study their behavior without issue and also set up an aerial perimeter around the ranch. He accepted pretty quickly," said Ash, smiling amusedly as Pikachu sent a cheeky wave his way.

Delia's eyes shone in interest. "Well, I don't mind. I'll be the first human to be able to study fearow and spearow behavior without the threat of getting killed as soon as I step foo on their territory. Send them all over." Ash nodded before he began to process of sending twenty one pokeballs to his mother, which took a good five minutes to do.

As he sent the last pokeball, Ash smiled at Delia. "And that's the last one."

Delia nodded as she put the pokeballs on a table. She would release them in the morning and get them settled. "Thank you sweetie. You've given me a golden opportunity so I'm going to reward you with something pretty soon. I suppose you'll be going to Pewter next right?"

Ash leaned back and nodded his head. "Yeah. I'll spend two weeks training in the Viridian Forest starting from tomorrow and then I would go to Pewter to challenge the gym," said Ash, raising an eyebrow as noticed that Pikachu and Riolu were having a staring contest. It was pretty damn intense for being something so silly. Were those sparks?

Delia hummed in thought before smiling cheerily. "I guess that's enough time to get you your reward and getting sent over to Pewter. When you get to the Pokemon Center there, ask for a package under your name sent by me, okay?"

Ash nodded. "Got it mom," he said before yawning and smacking his lips together.

Delia giggled. "Go to sleep, honey. We can talk in the morning. Bye!" She blew him a kiss and winked at him.

Ash sighed but chuckled. "Bye mom. Love you," said Ash and his mother nodded at him with a warm smile before the connection was cut. Ash sighed before he stood up from the chair and stretched his arms over his head, yawning again. Ash took off his X-Transceiver and put it on the arm of the chair he was sitting before walking and jumping into the bed, interrupting the competition between Riolu and Pikachu.

" _Hey! What's the big idea?"_ Pikachu snapped at him with a glare on his cherub face. _"I was so going to win on this one but you interrupted. He was just about to blink."_

Riolu scoffed. _"As if. This was going to be like the wrestling match. Utter and complete defeat for you,"_ said Riolu with a smirk as he crossed his arms over his chest, making Pikachu turn his glare from Ash towards the blue jackal.

Ash got comfortable on the bed, his hand clasped behind his head as he ignored the banter. He was just about to fall asleep when suddenly the lights went off and the air conditioner of the room that was keep the temperature slightly cool stopped functioning. Ash's eyes snapped open as he went abruptly into a sitting position. His eyes narrowed at the darkness. The electricity on Pokemon Centers never went off. Never.

Ash closed his eyes. "The Aura is with me," he whispered and the world bled into black and blue. He growled when he saw two human shapes on the top of the building releasing a floating ball like pokemon and a serpentine one. Ash opened his eyes and he nodded at Riolu and Pikachu as he stood up. "Let's go the lobby. Two people and two pokemon are about to infiltrate the Pokemon Center."

His two pokemon got serious and returned his nod. Ash ran towards the door and he was glad that it only needed electricity to open it from the outside. He quickly ran towards and down the stairs and he reached the lobby, which was conveniently empty by that time, just in time for the doors to be forcefully opened as black smoke filtered inside.

He turned towards the confused and scared Nurse Joy as a blue haired man and a red haired woman with a ridiculous haircut began saying nonsense. "Go and keep the pokemon safe. Lock yourself inside with them," commanded Ash and she nodded before hastily retreating.

Ash turned towards them with a glare on his face. Aura was coursing through his body and his red eyes were gleaming faintly as he regarded them and their pokemon. He spotted the big 'R' on their white uniforms and a growl came from his throat. It looked like this fools were members of Team Rocket, a well known crimical organization that was famous for robbing and making inhumane experiments on Pokemon. He was not going to show mercy.

"Meowth dat's right!"

Ash's eyes widened slightly went a meowth appeared; standing on two legs and took a position in front of the humans along the koffing and the ekans. Ash spotted the smirk otheir faces once the smoke cleared away and he was revealed to them.

The blue haired male pointed at him after flicking his hair. "Oh look Jessie. A twerp thinks that he can protect the pokemon from being stolen," he said with an amused chuckle and a smirk.

The red haired female, named Jessie also chuckled in amusement. "That's cute James. As if a twerp like him with twerp like pokemon can hope to beat the strongest duo of Team Rocket," she said before noticing Riolu standing ready in front of Ash. Her eyes gleamed in interest. "Oh look. It's a rare pokemon! Can you tell what it is Meowth?"

The meowth hummed as it looked at Riolu. "I can't really tell but it looks like a very strong and rare pokemon from anoder region," said Meowth in a high pitched, raspy male voice as he shrugged his shoulder.

Jessie laughed. "Oh goodie. Let's capture it for the boss and then we raid this center. I'm sure he would give us a raise!" She said hopefully as she daydreamed about that much money.

Ash glared at them before he looked down at his two Pokemon. Pikachu was on all fours, cheeks sparking in anger as he glared at their opponents and Riolu was on a ready position, also glaring at them. "Pikachu, take on the ekans and the koffing. Riolu, deal with the cat."

James smirked. "Koffing tackle that rat!"

Jessie had a matching expression on her face. "Ekans, get that blue pokemon and restrain it!"

Meowth brandished his claws as his expression matched that of Jessie and James. "You gonna test my fury swipes now!"

Pikachu and Riolu cloaked themselves with the enhancement of quick attack and ran towards their foes at surprising speeds. Ekans uncoiled itself and made to intercept, fangs gleaming as it aimed for his midsection but that was not to be as the jackal fighting type grabbed the ekan's head, spun around and launched it towards Pikachu, who smirked and shocked ekans with a wide arc of electricity.

Jessie's and James' eyes widened when meowth was kicked with a flaming roundhouse kick and was sent away from them, crashing into a few chairs and then a table. Riolu smirked at them before he jumped towards Meowth, who was shakily standing, with a glowing palm cocked back. Meowth managed to jump back, an avoided a strike that complete destroyed the table that stopped him from flying further. The talking cat hissed before he began to claw at Riolu who began to dance around the strikes with ease.

James turned towards Koffing and pointed towards the Riolu and Meowth. "Koffing go help Meowth!" Koffing seemed to nod and changed its path and began to float towards its new target.

Jessie's eyes were wide. "James, watch out!" She called.

James blinked at the warning but his eyes widened when a flying Ekans was hurled at Koffing by a running Pikachu that had been grabbing it by its tail and used the momentum created by quick attack and a front flip to throw the purple snake. James noticed that it was charred and it was twitching erratically as arcs of electricity ran across its long body. Ekans crashed into Koffing and they were both sent flying and crashed painfully against the wall.

Jessie glared at the rodent who she swore was smirking at her. "Ekans, use poison sting!" She watched as the snake slowly tried to raise its head, fighting against the paralysis. Surprisingly, she managed to do it and aimed her opened mouth at Pikachu, ready to blast him with a barrage of poisoned darts but Riolu had other plans.

Riolu ducked under a horizontal swipe from Meowth and got into his guard, pressing a glowing paw against his stomach. Riolu smirked as Meowth's eyes widened before he was sent back by a powerful shockwave that originated from the point of contact between Riolu's force palm and Meowth's body. He flew across the air and crashed into Ekans, preventing it from attacking Pikachu.

Ash grinned savagely when he saw all this. "Let's try out your thunderbolt," he said. Pikachu nodded and matched his grin before his cheeks sparked and he released a blast of arching electricity that hit the tangled forms of Koffing, Ekans and Meowth. The three pokemon cried out in pain and Koffing lost control of its volatile gasses and the resulting explosion knocked Team Rocket back into a wall and destroyed the one next were their pokemon were.

When the smoke cleared, it revealed three unconscious pokemon with swirl on their eyes. Ash smirked at that but scowled when he caught Jessie and James trying to make a run for it. He pointed at them. "Thunder wave." A weak stream of blue lighting later, and the Team Rocket duo were twitching on the ground helplessly.

Riolu walked calmly towards Ash and he looked around the lobby. _"We sure did a number on it,"_ commented Riolu as he inspected the destruction with an appraising eye.

Pikachu shrugged as he sat up and began to scratch his ear. " _"Hey at least we stopped the bad guys,"_ said Pikachu as if that was excuse for destroying causing major damage to a Pokemon Center.

Ash sighed as he too looked around, taking in the smoking rubles of the destroyed wall and the remains of the lounging area. "So much for a peaceful night," he mumbled as he head dropped in defeat.

Gyarados giggled in the background of the bond.

 **-AM: KOI-**

The next day Ash sported a small smile on his face as he stood at the beginning of the immense Viridian Forest. Riolu was bay his side looking at the forest with interest and Pikachu was on his shoulder looking at the forest with some distaste. It seemed like this wasn't Pikachu's first time in there and it didn't have fond memories for him. "Don't worry Pikachu. In the two weeks we are going to spend in there I'm sure you'll get use to it," said Ash teasingly as he patted Pikachu on a cheek.

Pikachu snapped at his hand and glared at Ash. " _I swear that if we get attacked by a swarm of Beedrill, I'm going to make them all eat thunder."_ Pikachu grinned savagely as his cheeks sparked. _"I got the power now."_

Riolu gave Pikachu a sideways glance before crossing his arms. _"A power that you need to control if yesterday was anything to go by."_

Pikachu and Ash sighed as they reminded what happened yesterday after they stopped Team Rocket. . He had gotten as much of a scolding from Officer Jenny last night and his mother this morning as thanks as he got also from Jenny and Nurse Joy. After Jessie and James were captured and their pokemon confiscated, they quickly found their headquarters in Viridian and as luck would have it, everything that had stolen was still there and was given back to their rightful owners. The League had taken them into custody and they were going to be interrogated to get as much information as they could on Team Rocket. Ash thought that it served them right for being a part of such a vile organization.

The reconstruction of the Pokemon Center would only take two days since it was only a wall and a few damaged chairs and table but it was still going to be operational. Ash blushed as he reminded Nurse Joy hugging him tight and claiming that she was going to tell her sisters about him so he got treated very well in every other Pokemon Center, even as she suggested with some amusement that he needed to learn some restrain. His mother was still happy for the spearow flock and despite that she would have to pay the damage to the League, he only got away with a light scolding.

Ash looked at Pikachu. "You are going to be working on your control until you can hit leaves without setting them on fire. As you do that you are going to also work on learning Agility and Iron Tail. And then, you get all that done, you are going to go back on using your Aura to make your reserves bigger at a steady pace so you maintain the same level of control, am I clear?"

Pikachu groaned and nodded as his ears dropped. _"Crystal clear,"_ he muttered through the bond. It was obvious that he didn't like it but he was willing to do it. Having power meant nothing if you couldn't control it and Pikachu was very well aware of this.

Ash nodded. "Good. Riolu, you will be learning how to use Double Team from Pikachu. I'm sure you are not going to take long to master that. Do you think your Force Palm can get stronger?"

Riolu shook his head. _"It is stronger as it can get now. I'll need to evolve to get stronger."_

Ash hummed before coughing into his fist. "Alright, if that's the case, then it is best if we teach you how to perform a few more fighting moves like Double Kick, Low Sweep and Brick Break. I'm sure you can integrate them into your fighting style."

Riolu nodded, eyes gleaming in excitement at the prospect. It was just like Arceus claimed. Ash was already making him stronger we all the knowledge he had on pokemon and Pokemon training alone. They just needed to put that knowledge to practice.

"Gyarados. I don't think you need to learn new moves. Since we are going to be in such a big forest for two weeks the only thing you would disturb are the bugs and flying types that live her so I was thinking about having you work on the speed of your Hyper Beam. Also, since you are a flying type, that means you are able to fly. I guess that it can be done with the use of Aura, which you will learn how to manipulate," said Ash to the mighty sea serpent that was his first real capture. He was still a little uneasy about that.

Gyarados chuckled. _"I find that acceptable. I'm starting to think that letting you capture really was the best course of action. I won't disappoint you as a pokemon so I hope that you don't disappoint me as a trainer,"_ she said, and for some reason, Ash felt strangely motivated to never stop getting stronger.

Ahs chuckled nervously before setting his sight into the deep forest. He had a lot to do in this two weeks and he was sure to do them all and then some.

 **-AM: KOI-**

Ash smiled at the sleeping form of his friends as he leaned against a tree before looking back into his pokedex. It had been a week since they entered this forest and they've found out some interesting things so far. The first day was spent looking for this clearing, which had a small but deep lake in which Gyarados could be comfortably released for as long as she wanted. When they found it they had set up camp and dedicated the mornings to train and the afternoon to look for battles.

Riolu was the one that grew the most. He had learned how to do Double Team in a few hours and mastered it by the end of the day he had learned and he managed to learn the fighting moves Double Kick, Low Sweep and Brick Break and adapted them to his fighting style. He was now going to start on working on keeping the enhancement of Double Kick and Brick Break up for as long as he could. Since they were in the Viridian Forest, most fights for Riolu were against bug type Pokemon, but thanks to his egg move blaze he managed to win everyone he had been on.

Pikachu also grew a fair amount. It only took him two days to get perfect control over his electricity, since he was using during training and to fight against the bug pokemon, so it wasn't a surprise it didn't take him that much. Pikachu learned Iron Tail in four days but he was still having problems with agility. Pikachu and Riolu would spar diary so their speed and evasion skills kept up to snuff.

Gyarados simply astounded him. She was a powerhouse, plain and simple. She had certainly gotten faster in forming her Hyper Beam and had found interesting applications for her use of raw Aura. She confirmed that yes she could learn how to fly but it would take a long while and many, many hours of training but Ash assured that that was simply a secondary project of hers. What really interested him was her ability to use Aura to impose her will over water. They couldn't test her limits on this lake but she could rise all the water on it above their heads without issue. They needed to get to the ocean to test what she could do.

Gyarados couldn't really battle in the forest so she was in charge of scaring away the bugs and birds that wanted to eat their food. It was a good accuracy and control practice for her anyways and the expressions of horror the pokemon would make when they laid eyes on her were pretty amusing.

Ash smiled as he stood up and put off the fire before walking into his tent. He took off his vest and shirt, leaving himself on only a tank top before getting his sneakers off his feet too. He got comfortable and closed his eyes. Tomorrow he would introduce them to a few new things and they will go find more trainers to fight. They still had another week before they had to go to Pewter City and he was not letting it go to waste.

 **-AM: KOI-**

" _Ash! Wake up!"_

Ash woke up the next morning to the sound of Pikachu's voice and feeling of him poking him on the cheek. He groaned as woke up and he noticed that Pikachu was looking at him with a strange look on his face. He blinked the sleepiness out of his eyes. He could see that it was still dark outside so that mean he had only slept for a few hours at the most.

"What's the issue, Pikachu?" Ash asked wearily with a yawn as he rose to a sitting position, rubbing his eye with his knuckles. He yawned again and smacked his lips.

Pikachu pointed outside frantically. " _Come out and see it yourself,"_ said Pikachu before he ran outside of the tent, leaving a blinking and still sleepy Ash sitting there, yawning.

Ash grunted before he grumbled incoherently about yellow rats that woke him up for no reason. He crawled outside of the tent, moth open to scold Pikachu for waking him up for nothing when he noticed the reason why Pikachu woke him and he shut his mouth close sharply with a clicking sound. The sleepiness went away and he was very much glad that Pikachu did wake him up.

By the fire place, Riolu was standing on top of a green, insectoid like creature that had a reptilian head with three spikes, narrow eyes and long and sharp white scythes for arms. It was a scyther. While very uncommon in the Viridian Forest, they were known to inhabit the forest by the hundreds, which was the reason they were so hard to find. This scyther looked to be slightly on the young side since its fur and exoskeleton wasn't as dark as fully grown species were known to have.

Ash noticed that it had arcs of electricity running across its body and its wings were twitching erratically. It was also giving Pikachu a very heated glare and it was probably because it was because of the rodent that he found itself on this predicament.

Ash sighed before walking up towards Scyther, who turned to look at him wearily. "What happened?" He asked simply. He noticed that Gyarados was soundly sleep and that was a relief. He didn't want to deal with an angry mighty sea serpent that was learning to control water with its will alone.

Pikachu rubbed the back of his head. _"I smelled something funny in my sleep and I woke to see this guy eating the berries that Riolu and I had collected after we came back to camp from looking from trainers. I got mad and shot a thunder wave at him and paralyzed him. Riolu woke up because he screamed loudly when I hit him,"_ explained Pikachu with a sheepish chuckle.

Ash glared at him before he shook his head. He walked towards Scyther and connected their minds with a tendril of Aura. " _Sorry about my friend, Scyther. He is still very immature when it comes to his food. As an apology, I would like to heal you,"_ said Ash as he knelt down in front of Scyther.

Scyther's eyes widened. " _How are you speaking into my mind like this?"_ Scyther's voice was smooth and light, but it was definitely that of male's. He was looking at Ash with gray eyes full of wonder.

Ash smiled. _"I can use Aura to connect my mind to that of a Pokemon, we allows me to understand their thoughts and project mind into them,"_ explained Ash before he touched the top of Scyther's head and sent a Heal Pulse through his body, healing Scyther from the paralysis. " _I can also use it to heal Pokemon from their injuries and status conditions."_

Scyther stood up to his feet and gave Ash look filled with gratitude. _"Thanks for that…"_ He trailed off before giving Ash a determined look. _"Do you think I can learn how to use that energy? And if I can, would you teach me?"_

Ash nodded his head slowly. " _As a Pokemon, you can use Aura instinctively to perform the techniques you know. You are also able of harnessing the raw energy but only if you form an Aura Bond with a human. I can't teach you, because I am a student myself but Riolu here is very knowledgeable so if he could teach you."_ Ash smiled kindly at Scyther. " _So what do you say?"_

Scyther considered the proposal for a few seconds before nodding. _"Deal. I only ask that you teach me how use Aura, let me fight strong opponents and getting me strong enough to evolve into a Scizor someday,"_ said Scyther, extending a blade towards Ash.

Ash nodded and grasped it and used the connection to send the pulse of Aura that would form the Aura Bond and also unlock Scyther's ability to manipulate raw Aura. He smiled when the bond was completed and he pulled out his pokedex and pointed it at Scyther.

Scyther. The Mantis Pokemon. Scyther is blindingly fast. Its blazing speed enhances the effectiveness of the twin scythes on its forearms. This pokémon's scythes are so effective, they can slice through thick logs in one wicked stroke. This Scyther is male and has the ability Swarm. He knows the moves: Quick Attack, Agility, Double Team, Slash, Fury Cutter, Wing Attack and Pursuit.

Ash grinned and his eyes widened before releasing his hold on Scyther. "Damn you sure know some very good moves," complimented Ash as he gave Scyther calculative look. "I am already coming up with a bunch of ideas for a fighting style we can develop for you."

Scyther chuckled. " _I can't wait."_

Pikachu walked up to Scyther and gave him a sheepish look and handed him an Oran berry, which Scyther ran through with his blade so he could eat it. " _Sorry about erlier. Here, you can have as many as you want as long as you help us collect more and give you all during training."_ When the mantis Pokemon nodded at him Pikachu got a shy look on his face. " _Also, the pokedex said that you knew Agility, I'm trying to learn it but I'm having some troubles with it. Would you help me tomorrow?"_ Pikachu asked hopefully.

Scyther nodded at him, trying to smile but on his face it looked more like an smirk. " _Sure thing. We are teammates know and we need to help each other to get stronger. I want to work on my weakness on electric attacks so I'm counting on you."_

Pikachu returned the smirk. " _You've got yourself a deal!"_

Ash was looking at the mouse and mantis pokemon as they talked like they were old friends with some bemusement. "They are sure getting along well in spite of how they met on the first place," commented Ash to Riolu who stood at his side to also look at Pikachu and Scyther.

Riolu chuckled. _"It's because of the bond. Once we are linked through the Aura, we get an understanding of each other's emotions. Scyther knows that Pikachu really is sorry for what he did so he is willing to have a start with the right foot."_

Ash nodded his head before he yawned. The excitement at seeing and getting a Scyther wore off to give away to sleep. He stretched his arms over his head and began to walk towards his tent. "Don't stay up too long. We still have training tomorrow," said Ash before he disappeared into his tent after waving good night at them. He would officially capture Scyther first thing tomorrow.

Riolu also yawned. He was about to tell Pikachu and Scyther that they should go to sleep when he noticed Gyarados stirring. A cold sweat began to go down his back when he watched her rise and open her eyes, blinking them slowly. Riolu yipped when Gyarados reared her massive head back and…

… yawned.

She looked down at him, confused at seeing him breathing heavily in apparent relief. She then turned towards Pikachu, who was in the same state as Riolu and then looked at Scyther who was looking at her like she had wings and was colored red. She cocked her head at them.

" _What did I miss?"_

 **-AM: KOI-**

Three days have passed since Scyther joined his team and Ash could already say that the mantis Pokemon was going to be a very important member of it. After he had made the official capture, Riolu had taken a few minutes to teach Scyther how to use raw Aura and when he learned, Scyther astounded them with the sheer speed he possessed. He was so fast that he could leave after images. Pikachu was looking up to Scyther as a role model of sorts and Scyther had even helped Pikachu master Agility. It only took them a morning.

Scyther was also able to deliver powerful blows with the many techniques at his disposal. Ash was sure that Scyther only needed to learn a few more techniques and grow a bit more before he was ready to become a Scizor. He had worried about Scyther losing his newfound speed but Scyther assured him that it won't be an issue since Aura apparently unlocked the hidden ability of a Pokemon once they learned how to manipulate its raw form.

Right he was with Scyther and Pikachu looking for trainers to fight. Scyther needed to grow in the style they were developing for him and there was no better way than having him fight while following ash's instructions. Riolu had stayed back with Gyarados to develop Aura control exercises for her.

Ash shook his head and focused on what was in front of him right now. He crossed his arms as he saw Scyther facing an angry looking primeape. The trainer of the pig monkey pokemon, who looked a little overweight and had hiker clothes on, was grinning, standing behind his Pokemon.

"Primeape lets smoke this bug. Get in close and use fire punch!" He shouted, his booming voice making Ash wince at how loud he was. He noticed that he was pointing at Mantis just like Gary had done the first time they fought. It looked even more ridiculous on this grown man.

Ash frowned as Primeape's right fist got cloaked in flames before it shot towards Scyther a decent speed with it fist cocked back and a glare on its face. "Don't let it hit you. Evade and tire it out. Use agility and quick attack," said Ash evenly just before Primeape was upon his newest pokemon.

Scyther ducked under the wide swing before and then jumping to the side when it was brought down to hit him on his wings. From the onwards, it began a very deadly dance in which the primeape tried to hit Scyther who was enveloped in the enhancement of quick attack as he used agility to boost up his reflexes. Ash was impressed that the primeape could maintain the fire punch, even if it was growing increasingly angrier and more frustrated as it failed to even graze the graceful and impossibly fast Scyther.

Ash's foe growled as he scowled at Scyther. "Don't lose focus. Mix it up with a thunder punch!" He barked. Ash's eyes widened as Primeape's other fist began to clack with yellow lighting as he added his other fist in attempts to hit Scyther.

Ash noticed that instead of Primeape, it was Scyther who was beginning to tire out so he needed to do something about it. "Double team! Then fast wing!" Ash shouted as he felt anxiety on his stomach. It seemed like this primeape was on a higher level than the other pokemon he had faced before… except for Gyarados of course. He was sure that he beating her and capturing her was just dumb luck. But he wasn't complaining.

Scyther stopped moving just for a millisecond and that was enough for his from to blur as three illusory images of himself appeared that scattered in different directions. Primeape followed the one that ran towards the right and took a big leap that had it on the Scyther copy in less than a second and brought its clacking and flaming fist on it. The phased cleanly through it, dispersing the illusion and kicking up dust as it fist got shoved into the earth.

"Watch out!" Primeape's trainer cried as Scyther carried out his next order. He used quick attack to gain enough momentum as he flew towards Primeape from its left flank, his wings whining white as he used wing attack. Primeape cried out in anger and pain as the supper effective attack hit him with such force that it knocked him over and made him pull out his fist from the ground in the process.

"Slash!"Ash called out with a grin. He watched as Scyther dug his clawed feet on the ground to stop flying before turning around and running towards the downed Primeape, who was slowly standing up. Scyther was still using quick attack so he reached his target in two seconds and raised his right scythe, which was glowing white.

"Brick Break!" His opponent barked with frantic eyes as he knew that a direct slash from a Scyther would spell trouble for him. Primeape reared its fist back and it began to glow just as he brought it forwards to intercept Scyther's downwards slash, creating sparks that originated from the point of contact. Primeape brought up its other fist, also glowing, and tried to hit Scyther on the head but it was swiftly evaded.

Ash watched as another stalemate was reached between the two Pokemon. Scyther was too fast for Primeape to hit and outmaneuver but Primeape's experience and honed battle instincts allowed it to be able to block Scyther's fast and precise attacks while also keeping it on its toes. He grinned. This was the best battle had so far and he was enjoying it very much.

Ash let Scyther fight for face to face for almost a minute. It seemed like his opponent believed that as a fighting type, Primeape would eventually gain the upper hand in hand to hand combat, and while that was a certain and possible outcome, Ash wasn't about to let that happen. "Into the trees! Double team and then fury cutter!"

Scyther jumped back, evading a flaming hammer strike and smirked at his opponent before he flickered away by boosting his agility and quick attack combo with Aura. Primeape began to frantically look around before four Scythers appeared, and charged at him with glowing wings from every direction. A desperate primeape could only pick up a target and turned to the one coming from the left and punched at it with fires cloaked in fire.

It fazed right through him as did the other three. "Watch out! Above you!" The warning was for naught was Scyther fell on top of the primeape feet first, knocking it down to the ground with a pained cry as the fall was hard due to gravity and Scyther's speed.

Then, Scyther's main weapons were lined with greenish, yellow energy before he began swipe repeatedly at Primeape's back, making the pig monkey pokemon cry out in pain as its fur and tough skin was slashed. Scyther only managed to do it three times before his opponent disappeared in a red flash of energy and he felt to the ground, his scythe inches away from striking the ground.

Ash blinked and looked up to see the Hiker glaring at him. "You little piece of shit!" It seemed like he was about to march towards Ash but Scyther's threatening hiss and Pikachu's sparking cheeks made him think better of it. He just settled for glaring at him more before he huffed and walked away.

Ash ignored the confirmation of the money transaction from winning the battle as he sighed. "Another sore loser," he said with a chuckle before he smiled at Scyther in congratulation. "And that's basically how I want you to fight your battles. Tire out your enemy, confuse them and then strike quick and hard with everything you've got."

Scyther nodded his head as he used he cleaned his scythes with the motion of sharpening against each other. " _Yeah. I feel comfortable fighting like that. I just need to learn a few long range techniques and get even faster,"_ said Scyther as they began to walk in the direction of their camp.

Ash nodded his head in agreement. "I was thinking about teaching you Aerial Ace to get you even faster. And for long range techniques I was thinking about Air Slash and Razor Wind. I'm sure that you can learn those quick enough and adapt then to the way you will start to fight now. Once you get fully accustomed to fight like this with what you have right now, then we are going to start working on more powerful techniques."

Scyther nodded and he kept silent so Pikachu decided to pep in. _"Hey, Ash. I can already control my electric attacks and got down Agility and Iron Tail. What am I going to work on next?"_ Pikachu asked curiously. His ears were twitching as he listened for anything that attempted to attack them.

Ash hummed as they began to walk on a path. "Well, you only need an attack that lets you hit at medium distances but doesn't requires for you to be stationary. How does Electro Ball sounds?" He raised an eyebrow at Pikachu.

Pikachu nodded his head. " _Alright. I'll begin working on it to- oh no you don't!"_ Pikachu changed what he was about to say abruptly when his hears twitched and he looked up to see a pidgeotto heading straight towards them with claws bared.

Ash's eyes widened when Pikachu jumped from his shoulder and shot thunder wave at the incoming flying type. It's eyes widened when it felt the current of electricity hitting it and paralyzing it. It took a forceful dive and landed roughly a few feet away from Ash and Scyther. Pikachu looked proud of himself when he landed back on Ash's back pack.

" _And that is how you deal with aggressive flying types!"_ The rodent said with a satisfied nod and crossed arms as he closed his eyes and raised his head with a sharp 'hm'. Ash shook his head and walked towards the pidgeotto, who was glaring at him as tried to rise up its wings. He sent a tendril of Aura into it and his eyes widened when he heard her.

" _-and I'm will not let myself be captured by someone that attacks wild Pokemon that are hunting!"_ Her voice was sharp but melodic and it was definitely the voice of a female.

Ash looked at her with wide eyes. _"Weren't you going to attack us right now? That's what we though and why Pikachu paralyzed you,"_ said Ash as he approached her and used a Heal Pulse to cure her from the paralysis.

She glared at him and used her wing to point at a tree that was behind them. The human an two pokemon turned towards where she was pointing and the saw a caterpie that quickly noticed them watching and used string shot to escape. Pidgeotto glared at them. _"And know my lunch has escaped. This is just great!"_ She said with a sigh.

Ash glared at Pikachu, who rubbed his head and chuckled sheepishly, before he looked down apologetically at the avian. _"I'm so sorry for that Pidgeotto. Would you like for me to give you some of our food? I got plenty at my camp near here."_

Pidgeotto looked at him before huffing and nodding. _"That's the least you could do, Lead the way."_

" _How much time do you think it would take for her to want to join us?"_ asked Pikachu through the bond at Scyther.

Scyther shrugged. _"She seems like the proud type. Thirty minutes tops?"_

Pikachu nodded his head sagely. " _I agree on that time frame."_

Ash glared at the two of them. It wasn't like he was going to catch every pokemon that he demonstrated he could talk to them and he wasn't expecting that to happen either. In fact, Pidgeotto hasn't even asked about his ability to talk to her on her mind.

" _By the way, how can you and I speak like this?"_

Never mind.

 **-AM: KOI-**

Ash looked at Pewter from the edge of Viridian City. Pikachu was on his customary position at his shoulder and Riolu was standing at his side. There were three pokeballs clipped on his belt –Gyarados, Scyther and Pidgeotto, the latter being his most recent capture. Like Pikachu and Scyther predicted, it only took her half an hour to get Ash to capture her and start training her alongside his other Pokemon on the condition that he helped her evolve and provided a steady income of food. That had been agreeable for Ash.

In the past four days Scyther had adjusted pretty well to his new way of fighting by sparring with Pidgeotto, Riolu and Pikachu. Ash only needed to give him some basic direction on what he wanted him to do to win the fight and Scyther would manage to do the rest without issue. They were going to let Scyther build in more power before teaching him more techniques.

Pikachu also managed to learn Electro Ball. It took him two days to form it without it exploding on top of him, since he formed it at the tip of his tail, and another day to master it. The past day was spent getting it adjusted to how he fought.

Riolu juts sparred with everyone and got in a lot of fights. He wanted to get a lot of experience fighting all kinds of pokemon so he could let himself evolve into Lucario and he was on the right track if he kept going at it. He could maintain now the enhancement off Double Kick and Brick Break up for a full minute as he kept fighting.

Pidgeotto was coming along very well on her training. She and Ash agreed that her speed was her greater asset and they should work on a style based on momentum hits and long range attacks. At the moment she knew the moves: Quick Attack, Agility, Gust, Twister and Wing Attack. They were working on Tailwind to get her even more airborne speed and on her endurance and evasiveness with the help of Pikachu and Riolu. She also had Brave Bird as an egg move but they were not going to start working on unlocking until se evolves.

Gyarados developed pretty good control over her Aura by slowly lowering the amount of water she could rise without having it implode on itself due to the amount of water. She could lift two gallons without an issue. Her goal was to lift multiple droplets of water at the same time without even thinking about it. That was a hefty goal. Gyarados could now form her Hyper Beam in five seconds and it was certainly more powerful, as that Samurai kid that thought she was wild and he could capture her with a pinsir could attest to.

Ash smiled as the falling sun made his hat cast a shadow over his red eyes, making them glint. "Let's go."

* * *

 **Decided to only include the stuff that happened in Viridian and Viridian Forest on this chapter. Also if you think that Ash is overpowered then you are mistaken. While the ability to manipulate raw Aura gives an advantage to his Pokemon on the long run, that's the only thing that will make Ash's pokemon stronger and more versatile than the rest of their kind. Also, I know how much you like stories in which Ash grows strong quickly as is a badass.**

 **For the sake of keeping a record I'm going to write the Pokemon has captured so far on each chapter along with the moves they know.**

 **Riolu (M): Quick Attack, Foresight, Counter, Force Palm, Blaze Kick, Aura Sphere, Low Sweep, Double Kick and Brick Break.  
Pikachu (M): Quick Attack, Agility, Double Team, Iron Tail, Thunderbolt, Thunder Wave and Electro Ball.  
Gyarados (F): Hyper Beam, Hydro Pump, Dragon Rage, Twister and Crunch.  
Scyther (M): Quick Attack, Agility, Double Team, Slash, Fury Cutter, Wing Attack and Pursuit.  
Pidgeotto (F): Quick Attack, Agility, Gust, Twister and Wing Attack.**

 **And there you have it: Ash's current team. If you think that Riolu is overpowered, then you are going to froth at the moth when he becomes a Lucario and learns steel type moves. I have lot of stuff planned for Ash's team member and a lot of original and not so original concepts that I will try my best to adapt to the story. Please tell me if I can fight scenes!**

 **Still not sure about the incest thing but I shouldn't be a big issue.**

 **There's the next link. Hit it and continue reading!  
**


	3. So Far, And Yet So Close To The Moon

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon or the concept for Aura Bond. Pokemon belongs to Satoshi Tajiri and Aura Bond I believe was first used by dragonwolf12 on his story 'The Chosen One's Journey'. I only own the plot.**

* * *

The doors of the Pokemon Center of Pewter City opened and Ash stepped inside with Riolu a step behind him. As he walked towards the counter, he discreetly looked around only for his brows to furrow again when he noticed the interested looks that the other trainers sent Riolu/ He understood that he was very rare Pokemon and he hoped that this 'interest' that other trainers seemed to have on him didn't escalate to other, unsavory lengths.

" _I feel like a piece of meat on display,"_ commented Riolu dryly as he too noticed the looks being sent his way. He moved closer to Ash and sent them al a glare that had a few looking away. Others just ignored it and continued to stare at him.

" _At least they aren't looking you like you think they are a piece of meat you are about to eat,"_ said Gyarados with an annoyed tone of voice as she huffed. It wasn't her fault that they woke her from her nap so suddenly.

" _I'm kind of feel glad that I'm a common pokemon,"_ said Pikachu with a giggle.

" _Same hare,"_ chirped Pidgeotto as she agreed.

 _I know that feel, bro. And it's even more disturbing for me since I don't have meat on my body,"_ said Scyther. They were rare Pokemon on Kanto, even if they were uncommon and the sight of him usually gathered many looks.

Ash chuckled as he reached the counter. He doubted that he would ever get bored with a group of pokemon talking inside his head. He wouldn't change that for nothing else in the world. He raised an eyebrow when he noticed the Nurse Joy giving him a puzzled look.

"Why do you look so familiar…" She trailed off before it dawned on her and her eyes widened and a smile stretched across her pretty face. "You are the trainer that saved the Pokemon Center in Viridian two weeks ago! The Joy there told all the other Joy's and sent us a picture of you!" She said cheerily before she reached down the counter and handed him a box that had his name written on him. "This arrived here two days ago. It was sent by your mother. Do you need a room?" Ash just nodded and she handed him a card key. "There you go. Room seventy four."

Ash nodded at her in thanks and he was about to go upstairs but she stopped him once again. "You just got out of the Viridian Forest. Don't you want your pokemon checked up? Although they don't look tired or anything…" She said as she inspected Pikachu and Riolu and found anything wrong with them. They looked on even better health than many Pokemon that belonged to breeders.

Ash shook his head with a smile. "That won't be necessary, but thanks Nurse Joy. Have a good evening," said before he walked towards the stairs, up them and then towards his room, finding it thanks to following the other in the halls ways.

He stepped inside and noticed that the room was exactly the same as in Viridian. He released all his Pokemon, except Gyarados of course for obvious reasons. He watched as Pidgeotto stretched her wings before perching herself on a metal pole that came out of a wall. Scyther also stretched his wings and limbs before he walked towards the wall and sit down, leaning against it. Pikachu and Riolu jumped into the bed and Ash set Gyarados pokeball and the box on the small table next to the bed before he went to take a bath.

After a warm shower Ash stepped out in shorts and a tank top before he picked up the box and sat on a chair. He noticed that Pidgeotto and Scyther were napping and Riolu and Pikachu were wrestling on the bed, with Riolu having Pikachu on a full nelson. He shrugged before he opened the box and took out whatever it was inside. He blinked when he recognized what was inside as a TM case. He flicked it open and his eyes widened when he saw three TMs there: Flamethrower, Ice Beam and Thunderbolt.

Ash called his mom right away and she answered after the third ring. Her eyes lit up and when she saw. "Hello there, honey! Did you arrive to Pewter yet?" She asked cheerily. Ash noticed that she was sitting on her chair, leaning back on it. She didn't have her lab coat on.

Ash nodded his head. "Yeah. Just arrived here actually. Got the package too. A TM case and the TMs for Flamethrower, Ice Beam and Thunderbolt… really mom?" He said with a grin on his face.

Delia laughed merrily. "I got them shipped them from Celadon. But that TM case is special. It can hold up to a hundred TMs at the same time and it can also restore the TM after you use them so you don't have to buy them again if you want to teach two pokemon the same move. You just have to wait for a few minutes before using it again," she explained after her laughter subsided.

Ash eyes widened at that. "Well… I'm going to use the three of them on Gyarados after I beat the Gym Leader here. The trip to Cerulean is about three weeks long so I guess that would give me enough time to get her good enough on using those moves."

Delia nodded her head before giving him a curious look. "So what's your strategy for the Gym? Brock uses rock/ground types."

Ash rubbed his chin. "I won't be using Pidgeotto and Scyther that's for sure. Pikachu has Iron Tail and he is fast enough to avoid getting hit but my best options are Riolu and Gyarados." He shrugged. "I guess I'll just wing it and come up with something effective after I see what Pokemon he uses but I will play it safe with sending Riolu first and then Gyarados to secure my win."

Delia nodded her head in agreement. "That's the best course of action, yes," She said before her eyes widened as she looked at something over her laptop. "I got to go Ashy. Please call me before you leave Viridian to tell me about your battle. Good night!" She waved at him before the screen went black.

Ash just blinked before shrugging his shoulders. He put the TM case next to Gyarados pokeball and jumped into the bed, snickering when Riolu and Pikachu pushed away and into the floor. He ignored their glares before he wished them a good night. He was going to have his first big battle tomorrow and he wanted to be as fresh as he could.

 **-AM: KOI-**

Ash stood outside of the Pewter City Gym and he was mildly impressed with it. The front was apparently made of rock but the rest of the structure was just a long, building that stretched for maybe one hundred meters. Ash looked at Riolu at his side and Pikachu on his shoulder before nodding at them. He opened the set of double doors by pushing them with both hands and went inside.

The inside of the Gym was more impressive than the outside. There was a big battle, rectangular Arena made of small, rocky mountain and ground that covered most of the main room but let some space for stands and the trainer boxes. Ash raised an eyebrow when he noticed that he was actually standing on ice.

"Who goes there?"

Ash looked up from the icy floor to see that a brown haired teen wearing a vest was sitting in the middle of the battle field. He noticed that his eyes were closed but he was directly looking at him.

Ash stepped forward, careful not to slip on the ice. "My name is Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town and I challenge you to a battle for the badge," declared Ash as he stopped short from entering the rock terrain.

Brock nodded his head before he noticed the two small Pokemon that were accompanying Ash. "I commend you for having a rare fighting type but they are on their smallest and cutest state. And one of them is an electric type. You won't win," said Brock in amusement as he stood up and retreated back to his own box. "But I can't refuse a challenge! We are going to have a two-on-two battle. You are allowed to substitute pokemon whenever you want." Brock pulled out a pokeball before muttering. "Not that it would do much…"

Ash, Pikachu and Riolu glared at him for patronizing them and dismissing them like that but smirked as he nodded his consent at the rules. Brock was going to pay dairly for underestimating his Pokemon, Riolu specially. Riolu jumped forward and landed on a kneeling position in front of Ash. Pikachu's cheeks sparked as he pumped his tiny fist.

" _Kick his ass Riolu!"_

Riolu stood up and smirked back at Ash and Pikachu. _"Don't worry. I'll pulverize whatever he throws at me,"_ he promised as he popped his knuckles, leering at Brock with a snarl on his muzzle.

Brock gave another amused chuckle before shaking his head. He released a Graveler that called out its name with a roar and pounded on the rocky floor with its four fists, making the ground shake a little. Brock smirked and crossed his arms. "I'll give you the first move."

Ash shrugged with a smirk. His funeral. "Bulk up and foresight. Keep them up," said Ash as he too crossed his arms. He would not tell Riolu what to do after this. It was up to him to fight so he could get experience on his own. Riolu tensed and his body was outlined by a fine, white shine before it subsided only for his red eyes to begin glowing.

Brock shook his head. "That was a waste. Graveler! Use rollout and keep it going!" Ash had to give him props since he didn't point at his pokemon in a dramatic manner. Graveler grinned before it took its fore arms into its body and launched itself into rolling towards Riolu at fast speeds. That would've surprised many trainers but Ash was used to see pokemon moving much, much faster.

And so was Riolu. When Graveler was just on him Riolu sidestepped to the right, letting the spinning ball that was Graveler pass by him without even grazing him. He was forced to jump, however, when Graveler stopped in place and changed the direction of his spinning backwards and towards Riolu so abruptly it made his eyes widen before he dodged. It was a good thing that he had foresight one or he would've been hit.

Ash watched as Riolu jumped and stepped out of the path of Graveler's unpredictable change of pace and direction with rollout. While Brock had indeed understamated him, it didn't mean that he was a bad trainer and he was proving that right there when he was pushing Riolu to his best at avoid getting hit. But Riolu was smarter than to keep going like this until he tired out so he acted.

When Graveler attempted to to attack Riolu once again, the blue and black jackal smirked before jumping, revealing that there was a small, rocky mountain behind him and Graveler smashed into it hard. It didn't hurt but the abrupt stop made Graveler a bit confused and when the dust he kicked up cleared, it was shaking its head.

Brock frowned but didn't seem too much concerned. "Rock throw! Then earthquake!"

Graveler nodded its massive body and used its larger arms to rip off a chunk of rock two times its size and hurled it at Riolu. It then smashed its four arms again into the ground, generating a shockwave before the earth began to tremble.

Before the shaking reached him, Riolu jumped and when he did, Ash noticed what was Brock's plan since Riolu was now on the path of the Rock throw. Too bad that Riolu could easily counter it and he did it just like Ash knew he would do it. Riolu extended both his hands in front of him, paws glowing white as he stopped the chunk of rock from hitting him but it still pushed him back. Riolu grunted before he released his double force palm, creating a shockwave that launched the cracked rock back at the surprised Graveler.

Brock's eyes snapped open in shock as he saw his graveler being hit by his own attack and being pushed back as the rock broke when it made contact with him. He watched as Riolu landed on the ground and pushed itself into a sprint towards Graveler with a glowing arm. He recognized the technique as Brick Break. "Stop it with mega punch!"

Riolu closed the distance between him and Graveler in five seconds and cocked his glowing arm back, and action mirrored by Graveler who cocked one of his larger arms back but with a glowing fist. The two attacks collided, making the earth bellow crack inwards forming a crater as a shockwave generated from the point of contact. Graveler smirked as it cocked its other arm back, fist glowing with energy and brought it down to smash it into Riolu's head.

It hit nothing but air as Riolu ducked under it, unbalancing his opponent as it met no resistance on its fight for dominance and Riolu capitalized on this to use a smooth, spinning Low Sweep that had Graveler tumbling into the ground face first, right in the middle on the crater. Riolu heard Brock's call t stand up but he wouldn't let it so he jumped on top of Graveler and pressed two glowing palms on its back and released Force Palm.

Graveler cried out in pain as it's rocky hide cracked as it was pushed into the crater, that got wider due to the force of the shockwave generated by Force Palm, and it soon fainted due to having its vulnerable inside rattled by the attack. It had swirl on its eyes as Brock recalled it in a red flash back to its pokeball.

He pulled out another Pokemon and he frowned at Ash. "It was a mistake to underestimate you Ash Ketchum… but you won't beat my oldest friend! Onix! Let's rock!" Brock shouted before he released the massive rock snake. It roared its name, making a sound that resembled rock grinding against rock and the earth shook a little.

Ash looked up at the onix before shaking his head. "Riolu! Splendid job but I don't want you to keep fighting," said Ash. Riolu nodded, a little disappointed but he jumped back and landed next Ash on the trainer box. " _Besides, I have to make due to my promise to her,"_ added Ash through the bond as he reached for a particular pokeball.

Pikachu shook his head. _"That guy is doomed."_

Ash smirked as he released Gyarados from her pokeball. The mighty sea serpent roared -the sound reminiscent of crashing waves as she regarded her opponent with an appraising eye. She seemed to approve if the glint on her eyes was anything to go by.

Brock's eyes widened to the size of saucer plates as he saw his next foe and he sighed in defeat. "I'm not underestimating anyone again," he mumbled before getting his game face on. "Tackle it! Then use bind!" Onix roared and launched itself towards Gyarados, who roared back.

"Dragon rage then hydro pump," said Ash easily with a grin. Gyarados roared before firing a green blast of energy in the form of a dragon head at the incoming Onix. The rock snake roared in pain as it was hit but it shook off the damage and was about to continued its charge but was met with a gigantic stream of pressurized water hitting it on the face. It didn't even have time to cry out in pain before it was knocked out.

Brock sighed as he recalled Onix. He easily admitted defeat as he was not prepared for a kid like Ash to have a Gyarados and he paid the prize. He walked towards Ash, who was rubbing his Gyarados' tough hide in congratulations. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the Boulderbadge and a TM. "Here is your reward for winning in the Pewter Gym. This TM teaches the move Rock Tomb. After you use it once you won't be able to do it again so be wise about it," said Brock with an easy smile on his face.

Ash patted Gyarados once more in congratulation before returning head in a flash of red. He took the badge and the TM from Brock and pocketed the badge and brought his special TM case and out the TM for Rock Tomb away before he put it back into his bag with Pikachu's help. "Thanks for the battle. It was a very good one," said Ash as he extended his hand towards Brock.

Brock grasped it firmly as he rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah but I should be thanking you instead. I was way over my head just because you had two un-evolved pokemon with you but you managed to curve it down." He then grinned in challenge. "I will train harder so I expect you come by here again so we can have an even better fight."

Ash nodded his head with a matching grin. "Sure, why not? And I won't use Gyarados like I did this time. That was the first official battle she ever had since I caught her two and a half weeks ago so I wanted to test her," said Ash as he ended the hand shake.

Brock nodded before he adopted a curious look on his face. "For how long have you been trainer by the way. You used some very good tactics there," complimented Brock.

Ash smirked as he answered. "Two and a half weeks."

Brock's eyes widened as he did a double take. "But you said you were from Pallet Town and that you captured Gyarados that same time ago!" Brock cried out in shock as he gave Ash an incredulous look.

Ash shrugged. "I got Pikachu as an starter from Professor Oak and my mom gave me Riolu. I caught Gyarados on the river near Viridian City by pure luck but I guess that was enough to earn her respect and obedience," explained Ash as if that wasn't a big deal. He had come to accept that.

Brock noticed the two other pokeballs on his belt. "And what other Pokemon do you have?"

"A pidgeotto and a scyther. I caught them in the Viridian Forest on my way here."

Brock could only gape.

Ash shrugged as he waved at Brock before he walked out of the gym. He raised an eyebrow when he side stepped the strange man that had tried to sell him rocks when he arrived at Pewter that rushed into the gym.

"That was weird."

His friends could only snicker through the bond.

 **-AM: KOI-**

There wasn't a lot of things to do in Pewter City other than the museum but Ash wasn't interested in that so that's why after the gym battle he went to stock on more pokeballs, then went to have lunch and after he did all that, he walked out of the city. When he told his mother he was going to go through Mt. Moon, she reminded him about catching some pokemon the lived there for the new terrain she had built and that's why he stocked on so many pokeballs.

He stopped after a few hours of walking. According to his X-Transceiver it was almost three in the afternoon. He could see the massive Mt. Moon in the distance and he deduced that it would take him two days to reach it. Ash shrugged before realizing all his Pokemon. He smiled at them.

"We got our first bade already. Excellent work Riolu and Gyarados. I'm proud of you," said Ash with smile on his face as he praised them.

Riolu shrugged his shoulder. " _Not that big of a deal really. After I got that Graveler to stop rolling around it was a piece of cake,"_ said Riolu with dismissal on his voice as he inspected his paws uncaringly.

Gyarados, however, preened at the praise. _"It's only natural that I get an easy victory over such an easy opponent,"_ she said pompously.

Scyther and Pidgeotto sweat dropped and decided not to comment on that. Pikachu was snickering uncontrollably as he rolled on the ground. That was what people got for underestimating Ash and not taking them seriously because of their size.

Ash chuckled before he got serious. "The next Gym is in Cerulean City and it is three weeks away from now. Since it is a water type gym, I will be using Pidgeotto, Scyther and Pikachu. I'm going to focus on them the most. Pidgeotto we will work on your speed, endurance and evasive maneuvers along with Tailwind. Then we are going to work on missing it up with quick attack and agility to get you super fast."

Pidgeotto nodded her head. _"Alight. I think I am close to mastering that move anyways. Also, I believe that we should work on my resistance to electric attacks and my ability to bend air currents around me with Aura,"_ she said with some hesitantly but resolutely on getting better. She was a proud Pokemon and she wanted to be strongest of her kind. She was sure that with Ash she was going to be able to do it.

Ash nodded at her. "I believe we can work on that too. Scyther, Riolu and Pikachu you will be sparring against each other and battling to get you more experience on using your moves and new ways to adapt them to the way you fight. Pikachu will also be using his aura to expand his electrical storages and working on keeping his control up to snuff with the increase on power."

The three Pokemon nodded their heads in understanding before Ash turned towards Gyarados and looked up at her. "And for you have three moves that you'll be learning through TM and you are going to practice them all until you perfect them," said Ash he pulled the TM case out of his bag and took out three of the four disks.

Gyarados looked in interest. " _What moves are those?"_ She asked curiously.

Ash grinned. "Ice Beam, Thunderbolt and Flamethrower," he said simply and he swore that if Gyarados could, she would have matched his grin with one of her own. He returned her and quickly slipped the three disks inside of the pokeball. It first glowed light blue, then bright yellow and finally reddish orange. Ash released her again and he watched as she shook her head before gaining a glint on her eyes.

Ash and his other Pokemon watched as Gyarados firs used Ice Beam, forming a ball of icy energy in front of her mouth that split into three jagged arcs that were shot into the air. Ash shivered as the technique was used. Then she used Thunderbolt and from her crest, a wide yellow blast of electricity was fired to the air. Ash watched as Pikachu shot her a jealous look because it was slightly more powerful than his own thunderbolt but that was alright since it would motivate the yellow rodent to get more powerful. Gyarados then used flamethrower and from her mouth a wide column of red-orange flame was shot at the sky.

The black haired trainer patted her on the side as she preened. "Now you only need to master those moves so you can use it in a moment's notice. Then you can dedicate all your time to use Aura to be able to fly. Next we will work on your water manipulation and you will be all set," said Ash with a massive grin on his face.

Pikachu turned towards the others. " _I don't know about you guys but I'm not letting an oversized water snake beat me,"_ said Pikachu before he began to concentrate and channel his aura into his cheeks.

Riolu and Scyther smirked at each other before they moved away so they could spar without holding back. Pidgeotto chirped and began to work on Tailwind. Gyarados began to fire Ice Beam one after the other. Their enthusiasm brought a small smile to Ash's face. This was for what he lived for.

 **-AM: KOI-**

" _So…"_ Pikachu trailed off as he looked at the looming Mt. Moon. It was still a good kilometer away but it still looked imposing even from the distance. _"Do we really need to go down that?"_ Pikachu asked. There was a little tremor on his voice.

Riolu, who was padding next to Ash, gave Pikachu an amused look before snickering. _"Is the big bad Pikachu afraid of a mountain and dark tunnels?"_

" _If it helps… I also don't like mountains,"_ said Pidgeotto.

" _Me neither,"_ agreed Gyarados.

" _You gals don't like them but he is afraid of them. Is different,"_ corrected Scyther, also snickering in amusement.

Pikachu glared but didn't respond. Ash just chuckled at the banter before setting his eyes on Mt. Moon. He thought that it would take him a little more to reach it because he was going to stop to have as much battles as he could but there had been scarce few trainers and there were less willing to battle. He frowned at that but didn't dwell on it too much. If he really thought about it, it was better this way since he would be able to go across it just by the time night rolled around since it was just a few minutes past noon at the moment.

Ash was about to tell his pokemon to stop giving Pikachu grief about his apparent fear of the dark (He thought that it was more fear of the mountain falling down on them really) when he heard the distress and pained cry of a pokemon coming from the tree line. On instinct, he jumped into a sprint in that direction, Riolu easily following into step with him. They waved through trees and bushes for almost a minute before finding themselves on a clearing.

Ash saw something that disgusted him and made his Aura flare inside of him, making his eyes glow faintly. A male nidoran, clearly hurt, was trying his hardest to get up and there was a raticate and a machop in front of him. Behind them there were two kids the same age as him and they were pointing at the nidoran.

"Machop, use karate chop! Knock it out!"

"Raticate, don't late it! Use quick attack to knock it out first!"

The pokemon heisted for a moment, clearly knowing that this was wrong and unfair but moving to comply with their trainers' orders. Ash quickly stood protectively infront of nidoran and growled deep from his throat. He was not about to let that happen.

"Pikachu, iron tail! Riolu, brick break!" He shouted. His pokemon nodded and moved in to intercept the attackers. Riolu ducked under Machop's reflexive swing when he closed in and buried his paw deep into its stomach, making it cry out in pain before sending it flying back to the feet of his shocked trainer. Pikachu matched the raticate's jump and twisted his body around to use the momentum to smack the raticate with a glowing white tail that sent it back to the feet of the other trainer.

The two pokemon were clearly unconscious. The one of the right was first one to get his wits back and he glared at Ash. "Hey! What's the big idea?" He asked in anger as he returned his machop and pulled out another pokeball.

Ash scowled at him. "I should be the one asking that. Why are you two ganging up on this nidoran at the same time?" He asked with an icy calmness that betrayed his anger. He had inherited that from his mother.

The other trainer returned his raticate before he too glared heatedly at Ash. "We saw the nidoran at the same time and we couldn't decide who was going to catch so we agreed that the one who knocked it out first would have the right to catch it." He then brandished another pokeball. "So beat it. This is not your business."

Ash crossed his arms and stood protectively in front of nidoran, who was looking at him with wide eyes that were shining with awe. "I don't think so," he said simply as he stared down at them.

The two trainer growled and released their Pokemon. It seemed like at least they wouldn't use their more powerful pokemon to beat up the young nidoran since they released a tough looking victreebrel and a angry looking dodrio. They seemed to glare at him. Ash would have loved to battle them had their circumstances been different and he wasn't un such a hurry to heal nidoran and head to Mt. Moon…

…so he released Gyarados.

The two trainers fell into their backsides as the mighty sea serpent was revealed and she roared in anger at the two of them, her mouth filled with flames and electricity flaring to live on her crest. The two trainers saw this, knew that they weren't match for her before returning their pokemon and turning tail deep into the forest. Ash smiled at the wise action before turning around and kneeling before nidoran, eyes filled with concern.

He connected their minds with a tendril of Aura. " _Look I'm training to become an Aura Guardian and since I can use Aura, I can make it so I can speak into your mind and you into mine. Can I touch you so I can heal you?"_ Ash asked with kind and reassuring smile on his face.

Nidoran's eyes widened before hesitantly nodding, said single action being seemingly painful for him. " _Please… it… it hurts a lot,"_ said Nidoran in a strained, timid little voice. Ash slowly brought his hand forward and tapped Nidoran on his side and sent a quick Heal Pulse through him. He frowned when he needed to use three more Heal Pulses before he was completely healed, except for his fatigue.

Ash smiled and patted him, making sure to avoid the poisonous barbs on his back. " _There you are. You only need to rest for a while and you will be set,"_ said Ash as he stood up. Pikachu jumped to his backpack and Riolu landed on his side. They nodded at Nidoran, who managed to stand up. Ash was about to severe the connection but he was topped from doing so.

" _Wait!"_ While not anymore sounding strained, Nidoran's voice was still small and light like that of a kid. " _Can you be my trainer? I don't want for something like that to happen to me again. You seem like a very good human and those two…"_ He pointed at Pikachu and then at Riolu with his horn, which was large for his breed. " _… managed to knock the macho and the raticate out with one hit and that Gyarados respects you so you are a very powerful trainer."_ pleaded Nidoran with hopeful eyes.

Ash looked down at him for a moment before smiling. " _Sure. I would love to have you as a member of my team. I will have to perform an Aura Bond with you that would let us speak to each other whenever we want and will give you the ability to manipulate raw Aura."_

Nidoran just nodded before Ash kneeled down again and pressed his palm against Nidoran side and sent the pulse of Aura. When it was returned he stood up and he pulled out his pokedex to point it at Nidoran.

Nidoran: The Poison Pin Pokemon. The male nidoran has developed muscles for moving its ears. Thanks to them, the ears can be freely moved in any direction. Even the slightest sound does not escape this pokemon's notice. It is small, but its horn is filled with poison. It charges then stabs with the horn to inject poison. Nidoran has the ability Poison Point and knows the moves: Peck, Fury Attack, Double Kick and Poison Sting. Note: This Nidoran has the egg move Sucker Punch but it has not been unlocked yet.

As Ash pulled out an empty pokeball and pressed it against Nidoran, Pikachu turned towards Riolu. _"I told you he was going to catch every single Pokemon he lets know that he can talk to them."_

Riolu nodded his head. " _I believe that is to be expected from this point onwards yes."_

The ball dinged.

Scyther, Pidgeotto and Gyarados laughed.

And Ash deadpanned.

 **-AM: KOI-**

Once they made it into Mt. Moon, Ash released Nidoran and looked down at him. _"I know that you told me that you wanted to train right away but I think that we should first pass this mountain and then beginning training tomorrow. I can also develop a regimen for you to follow,"_ said before looking towards the darkness ahead and pulling out a flashlit and turning it on. " _But you'll get to fight the Pokemon in here that don't run when he get near so you'll stay out along with Pikachu and Riolu, okay?"_

Nidoran nodded his head and twitched his large ears, which looked a little awkward on his tiny body. _"Sure. I can also tell you when there is a pokemon close or something. I got really sensitive hearing,"_ he said proudly as his ears twitched again.

Pikachu and Riolu shared an amused look but decided not on commenting. Ash nodded at Nidoran with a smile and they began to trek into the dark tunnels of Mt. Moon. These tunnels were actually naturally made by the onix that used to leave here. Sadly, these same tunnels made the structure of the mountain too unstable for the onix to live here so they were forced to move to another place, Mt Hideaway if he recalled correctly. He would have to visit that place someday. It sounded like a good place to train.

With the absence of the onix, many pokemon began to use this tunnels as a place to live and feel relatively safety since this was a passageway used by trainers that went from east Kanto to west Kanto and vice versa. Mt. Moon was also the place that housed the mythical Moon Stone that was said to bring the Clefairy line to earth from the Moon itself. Ash thought that it was a plausible theory, only if the other pokemon that also used shards of the moon stone to evolve were proven to also come of the moon.

Ash looked down at Nidoran, who scared away a pair of zubats with a barrage of poisoned needles that he fired from his mouth. Nidoran evolved into Nidorino naturally but to evolve into Nidoking they needed a shard of the moon stone. If Nidoran wanted to become a Nidoking, he would come back here to evolve him using the original moon stone. That would certainly be an adventure to look up to.

Ash frowned when he saw a sandshrew rolling away from then in fright and a pair of paras tucking their limbs into their bodies after they spotted them. While he knew that many pokemon were wary of humans and tended not to get too close, they never showed outright fear unless mistreated by a group of humans big enough to make them think that all of them were like this.

He scowled when he saw three geodude look at him when he turned on a curve and pointed at them with his flashlight with wide eyes before hurriedly floating away. He turned towards his Pokemon. "Something is not right here," said Ash slowly as he began to walk further into Mt. Moon.

Riolu nodded his head as he looked around them suspiciously. " _Pokemon do not react like that to humans unless they have been wronged pretty bad by them recently. And they seemed scared even before they spotted you so whatever is causing this is still here,"_ said Riolu as he began sniff and sort out the scents from human and pokemon.

Pikachu stopped sending the roof above them occasional, nervous glances. _"When I was a Pichu and was still with my pack, we used to behave like that when a group of humans tried to catch us against our will and by force,"_ he supplied helpfully.

Gyarados hummed in thought. _"They are afraid. If seen that look on the humans and Pokemon that have landed their eyes on me whenever I went on a rage for being woken up suddenly."_

Ash stopped walking when a sandslash and two sandshrew jumped in fright at the sight of him and hastily rolled away. His scowl tightened around his face before he closed his eyes and released his breath slowly, his face relaxing. "The Aura is with Me," he whispered and his perception expanded and the world bleed blue and black.

Using Aura sight, Ash explored Mt. Moon in a very fast pace, hoping to find the cause of the Pokemon's unusual behavior and after a few minutes he found it and what he 'saw' made his fist tight and for his eyes to glow red behind his eyelids. He could only see the general shape due to using this Aura technique but it was unmistakable. A group of ten humans were forcing row of pokemon into cages that would discharge the ones that fought to get free on a wide chamber of the system of caves a few hundred feet away from them. He opened his eyes and they were glowing bright red.

"They are forcing pokemon into cages and shocking them if they try to break them," said Ash in a tight voice as he glared in the direction of where they were doing the despicable act. He released the rest of his Pokemon except Gyarados, who he was sure as heel going to release on the chamber. It was bigger than the Pewter City Gym so she was going to be comfortable in there. "We are going to stop them."

The five Pokemon that were outside nodded their head resolutely, scowls plastered on their faces to express their anger and Ash could hear Gyarados growl in agreement. They began to make their way as quickly as they could without making too much sound. As they stepped closer and closer to the chamber were the ten humans were locking away the pokemon against their will, Ash noticed that that there were no more Pokemon around and that made him just angrier.

They stopped short of the entrance of the chamber and stayed out of sight. Ash pressed his back against the edge of the entrance and peeked his head out only to get even angrier. There were seven men and three women, all of them wearing the dark uniforms with big 'R's' that identified them as members of Team Rocket. He noticed a bunch of pokemon on the cages: six zubat and two golbat, four geodude and one graveler, seven sandshrew and two sandslash, five paras and one parasect and finally three clefairy.

Ash watched as the cages shocked all the pokemon except for the one containing the ground and rock types. One of the grunts smiled evilly at them as he held up a controller. "If one of you start try opening the cages we are going to have to cause a lot of pain to your friends here so behave yourselves," he said before kicking the cage harshly, chuckling at the glares sent his way.

One of the females approached him. It seemed like he was the one leading the operation. "Do you think these are enough pokemon to keep the tests going?" She asked with some disdain on her voice as she looked at the pokemon with some disgust.

The apparent leader nodded his head. "Yes. That mad doc, Fuji, wanted to test his drugs on rock and ground types, flying types, normal types and bug types. Ever since his daughter died he has been focusing on his research and he needs test subjects," he said with a shrug before raising his voice. "Alright men! Clean up time! Let's take this beasts back to the base."

Ash had heard enough and he turned towards his Pokemon with a glare on his face. "This is what we are going to do. Pikachu, you are going to take care of the generator that feeds electricity to the cages. Riolu and Scyther are going to cover you back. Pidgeotto you are going to give them support from high up and take care of any flying types they might send. Nidoran, you are going to stay with me and Gyarados and help fight anything that gets too close, but I doubt that with Gyarados out that would happen," whispered Ash, getting nods from all of them.

Ash took a deep breath before he let his Aura flow throw his veins, his eyes glowing red. He grabbed Gyarados pokeball and let out the air he held. His eyes closed has he breathed again before snapping open. "Go!"

Riolu, Scyther and Pikachu cloaked their bodies in the enhancement of quick attack and agility before their charged forward through the entrance. Scyther and Riolu flanked Pikachu as they made a straight line towards the Rockets and the caged Pokemon and they were instantly spotted. The chamber was wide enough to give the Rockets enough time to get out of their shock at seen three pokemon closing on them fast out of nowhere and release their pokemon: five raticate, two ekans, two koffing, five zubat and a grimer.

The leader grunt snarled as he pointed at the three incoming Pokemon. "I don't know what the fuck is happening but stop those pests," he growled pointing at Pikachu, Riolu and Scyther who a few seconds away from reaching them. The Rocket pokemon cried out in anger before they charged and met Ash's three pokemon in rather unimpressive clash. Riolu sent flying away a raticate with a blaze kick and backhanded a koffing with brick break, Pikachu shocked two zubat with thunderbolt and then sent a ball of electricity at en ekans and Scyther rammed one of his glowing wings into the other ekans sending it away before baring his fangs and blades at two raticate that pounced at him, also with bared fangs.

Ash came running out of the entrance next and he watched as Pidgeotto began to fight with the three zubat, knocking one out of the sky with a well placed wing attack before opening her beak and sending a thin funnel of winds that forced the two other zubat to separate so she could pick them off one by one. Nidoran ran at his side and he approached the battle between his pokemon and the rocket's quickly and he noticed that slowly, but steadily, his pokemon were winning.

He spotted one of the grunts pointing at him with a scowl on his face. "Hey! He is just a kid!"

The leader growled as he too noticed that their pokemon were being defeated. That was they got for going with quantity over quality. "We have to retreat now! Our Pokemon are no match for this kid's!" He shouted and the nine that were with him nodded their head before turning tail.

Ash was not let about that to happen though. "Gyarados!" He shouted as he threw her pokeball, using aura to give his arm enough strength o hurl it over the battle and the rockets. She was released in a flash of white light and the vile members of team rocket were forced to jump back, most landing on their backsides as they stared at the roaring beast that was leering at them with hateful red eyes.

Riolu knocked out a raticate with a force palm that sent it flying into one of the cages, shocking it. He looked around, recalling that there had been five raticate when the fight begon. He spotted Scyther finishing of the two that attacked him with two well placed slash attacks and then turned towards Pikachu who made the other koffing trigger an explosion by firing a thunderbolt at it and then hitting the grimer with an iron tail, making it splatter all over the place. His eyes widened as he jumped back as a zubat landed on a heap in the place where had been standing on and managed to see the last Raticate running towards Ash.

" _Ash! Watch out!"_

The black haired trainer heard the call and his own eyes widened when he saw the Raticate pouncing at him from scantly five feet away from him. He was about to form an Aura Sphere to protect himself with it but it wasn't going to be necessary as Nidoran jumped and intercepted the Raticate with a drop kick, hind legs glowing. They rolled on the ground a few meters away from Ash but Nidoran managed to stay on top and rammed his long horn into raticate, making it cry out in pain as blood was drawn and poison was injected on his system. It trashed about for a few seconds, managing to scratch Nidoran who grunted but kept injecting the poison, before it want slack, unconscious.

Ash turned towards where the main fight was taking place and he saw the last of the pokemon being knocked out and the last zubat falling down to the earth. He smirked as he noticed the rockets paralyzed in fear before Gyarados but he decided to paralyze them for real. "Pikachu use thunder wave on them! Then deal with the generator and the cages!" He said before bringing up his X-Transceiver.

The Pewter City Police Force would like to know about this.

 **-AM: KOI-**

The Police officers had arrived just a few minutes after he called them because they had Alakazam that could teleport and they had tracked the coordinates of his call. They were at first shocked that a kid managed to stop a cell of ten rockets but after they laid eyes upon Gyarados, Scyther and Pidgeotto they didn't comment on it. They quickly apprehended the criminals and confiscated their pokemon before scolding him, thanking him and promising a hefty sum of money for his services.

After they were gone, Ash had turned towards the freed Pokemon who expressed their most sincere gratitude towards him and an his pokemon, even if most of them were wary of Gyarados but soon eased up when she had eye smiled at them. Ash told them that it was no big deal and that they could repay him by letting him capture them to send them towards his mother's lab where they would get an steady income of food and a wide area, similar to this one too live peacefully. All of them, except for the clefairy and zubat, had agreed and he quickly caught them and sent them to his mother, who called him right away to promise him another reward for when he reached Cerulean.

Ash stepped out of Mt. Moon and he noticed that it was dark already. He turned towards Pikachu and Riolu who were the only ones out. He had healed Nidoran and then returned him to his pokeball after everything was sorted out. He wanted to be out of Mt. Moon as fast as he could and he didn't want to put a strain on Nidoran before they began to train. "Cerulean is actually a week away but since we are going to use the same system that we used in Viridian of training in the mornings and battling in the afternoons as we walk then we are going to take much longer to get there."

He paused as he began to walk on the path, looking for a camping site where he could spend the night. "Pikachu, Riolu and Scyther will work on improving the techniques they already know and increasing their power output but you are going to be battling most of the time. Nidoran, I'm not sure what we are going to work on but I'll look into it in the morning but you will be also battling regularly. Pidgeotto, you are going to finish master Tailwind and work on manipulating the air currents with Aura and work on your endurance, evasion skill, speed and resistance to electric attacks. Gyarados, you keep working on perfecting Ice Beam, Flamethrower and Thunderbolt and start on learning how to fly with you Aura."

Ash saw Riolu and Pikachu nod their head and heard the mental confirmation of his other four Pokemon as he found a campsite and began to walk towards it. "I'll also step up my own training. I want your trainer, and as such, I feel that I need to fight alongside you when these kinds of situations happen. I know you will never let me down and I'm sure as hell going to make sure that I never do it neither," said Ash with tightened fists and red eyes that glowed bright behind his cap.

Riolu saw this and he looked up, smirking he saw the biggest and brightest start in the sky shining brightly, pulsating with the power of Ash's Aura. Arceus did make the best choice for a Chosen One it seemed.

* * *

 **Holy shit that was awesome! So Ash got his first badge (Pretty easily due to being underestimated and his luck at having caught a Gyarados before hand), found a way to make Gyarados even more scary and powerful thanks to his mother, saved and captured a male nidoran from two idiotic trainers and saved and captured even more pokemon from team rocket for his mother's ranch. That pretty much sums it up.**

 **I think the fights were realistic. Riolu is a experienced fighting type that fought against a graveler, a much slower opponent and with a type disadvantage on his favor and a fight with a Gyarados and a Onix I'm sure will go like that most of the time. Rockets pokemon are barely trained since they rely on numbers but Ash's pokemon are so fast they couldn't hit them and they were capable of making a lot of damage so the fight was fast an easy for them. Also there was Gyarados the scare the shit of everyone. Nidoran is a hero and got some kind of revenge since it was also a raticate that was attacking him before Ash interfered and saved him earlier in the chapter.**

 **Riolu (M): Quick Attack, Foresight, Counter, Force Palm, Blaze Kick, Aura Sphere, Low Sweep, Double Kick and Brick Break.  
Pikachu (M): Quick Attack, Agility, Double Team, Iron Tail, Thunderbolt, Thunder Wave and Electro Ball.  
Gyarados (F): Hyper Beam, Hydro Pump, Dragon Rage, Twister, Crunch, Flamethrower, Ice Beam and Thunderbolt.  
Scyther (M): Quick Attack, Agility, Double Team, Slash, Fury Cutter, Wing Attack and Pursuit.  
Pidgeotto (F): Quick Attack, Agility, Gust, Twister and Wing Attack.  
Nidoran (M): Peck, Fury Attack, Double Kick and Poison Sting. **

**Those are the pokemon on Ash's team but I'm also going to mention the one he had caught and sent to the lab: twenty one spearow and one fearow on his second day as a trainer back in chapter one and four geodude and one graveler, seven sandshrew and two sandslash, five paras and one parasect on this chapter that he also sent to his mother. That means that Ash has caught forty pokemon so far. I don't think he will be doing any more massive capture spree but one never knows.**

 **There is one more chapter you can read! Go on!**


	4. Three Is Better Than One

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon or the concept for Aura Bond. Pokemon belongs to Satoshi Tajiri and Aura Bond I believe was first used by dragonwolf12 on his story 'The Chosen One's Journey'. I only own the plot.**

* * *

It was three weeks after the ordeal with Team Rocket at Mt. Moon that Ash found himself entering Cerulean City. The city was very colorful with buildings of all sizes and shapes, littering long streets that stretched wide. People waved at him merrily and pointed at Riolu and Pikachu as he passed by, and he waved back, a little more subdued than the enthusiastic greeting from the people here but it was still enough to be friendly.

As he made his way towards the Pokemon Center, Ash thought about the last three weeks and just how productive they had been. Pikachu had managed to increase so much his output of electricity that Ash was sure he only needed perhaps one month before he reached the maximum his current stated would let him but it was enough to perform Thunder and maybe unlock his egg move Volt Tackle. Pikachu had also gotten accustomed to his fighting style and Ash had to just give him general instructions the he would follow to come up with a win.

Riolu had also eased more into his fighting style and had also picked up Agility for sparring so much with Pikachu and Scyther. According to him, he just only needed to prove himself against powerful fighter types before he felt he was ready to let himself evolve. He had also been gradually increasing his aura reserves so they would grow even more when he evolved into a Lucario. Riolu had never lost a battle since they had parted from Pallet and he and Ash were planning on keeping it like that.

Scyther had also comfortable on using his fighting style of tiring opponents out and then fight them head one only for him to confuse them with his fast and quick thought misdirection and precise strikes. He had steadily gotten faster and faster. So much that he was capable of leaving three after images and running on top of the water without the use of Aura. That was going to be very useful on their gym battle later. Scyther had only lost twice: to a magmar and to a particularly powerful Electabuzz.

Nidoran had also grown so much that Ash was sure that he was close to evolving that with one or two more fights he would get that little push. They still didn't know what special ability the unlocking of his Aura had given him other than making his physical attacks stronger but Ash was sure that when he evolved they would find out. Nidoran had only learned Dig as a new move since Ash considered that it was enough with that until he evolved.

Pidgeotto managed to master Tailwind two days after leaving Mt. Moon and it took her four more days to mix it up with Quick Attack and agility. It took her another week to get proficient enough on manipulating the air currents around her with aura but when she mixed all of those abilities she was the fastest member of the team, no questions asked. She was so fast that she could misplace the air if she flew for in a straight line for long enough. Thanks to her new found speed, she hasn't lost a battle yet. Ash had asked his mother to sent him the TM for steel wing and aerial ace just for her.

Gyarados had also grown a lot even if she didn't that. She had complete mastery over Ice Beam, Thunderbolt and Flamethrower and could fire them repeatedly all over the place without tiring herself and it took her two weeks to get on that level. She had also found out how to fly using her Aura but she couldn't gather the amount to lift her up more than five feet of the ground for more than ten seconds. They were now working on upping her reserves of Aura. She had only lost to the same powerful Electabuzz that managed beat Scyther but other than that she had won every battle she had been in, which had been surprisingly a lot.

But Ash knew that it was now when he was going to find real and tough trainers since it was here were the real challenges where. The west part of Kanto only had the Viridian City Gym and the leader, Giovanni, was so vicious that most trainers tended to avoid him, that, and he only accepted challengers that had seven badges. Ash had made the promise to himself that he was only going to partake in the conference this year if he managed to beat Giovanni. He had more than ten months to get up to that level and he was not going to waste any time.

Ash reached the Pokemon Center and he only stayed enough to get a room and an envelop containing the new TM's his mother had sent for him from Nurse Joy and leave everything on his room except for his pokeballs. Doing all that took twenty minutes at the most and he was out of the healing center and looking for Gym, following the instructions on the GPS apps of his X-Transceiver to get there as quickly as he could.

The Gym was at the edge of the city, one a grassy field that could be probably seen from any spot on the city that was high enough to look over all the building or it was at a right angle that no building obstructed its view. The Gym itself was slightly more impressive than Brock's. It was shaped like a dome painted yellow and pink, with waves going around it and a dewgong made of concrete right in the middle. Under the dewgong was a sign that read 'Cerulean City Gym'. He shared a nod with Pikachu and Riolu before stepping inside.

He walked up to the very pretty receptionist who smiled at him cheerily. "Are you here for the Water Ballet?" She asked in a a voice that matched her smile and general disposition.

Ash and his two Pokemon cocked their heads to the side in a eerie similar manner as they gave her equally confused looks. She giggled. "Water ballet? Isn't this the Cerulean City Gym?" Ash asked with confusion permanent on his voice as he stared at the girl.

The girls seemed a little nervous under his stare and she blushed before looking to the side, making Ash raise an eyebrow at her. "Ummm… well, Daisy, Violet and Lily give water shows to whoever wants to come and watch to get their Pokemon warmed up for Gym battles. We actually use it as a second income for the workers here. Would you like a ticket? The show is actually pretty good!" She said in a chipper tone, her face and voice back to normal but she refused to look at him in the eye.

That was strange. He ignored the snickering of his pokemon as he shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah. Sure. Why not? Might was well do something as I wait for the gym battle. Is there anyone else scheduled ahead of me?" He asked her as she handed him a ticket and he used his pokedex to send the sum of money into the Gym account.

She shook her head, still not meeting his eyes. "No. Most trainers ask when they show will be over so they could come and fight the Gym Leader but since you are going to see the ballet you'll get a preference," she said, looking up at him and then looking down back at the desk quickly.

Ash decided to ignore her strange behavior as he waved at her and made his way towards the main area. "Well, thanks for helping me," he said over his shoulder before he disappeared behind the doors.

The receptionist watched him go before sighing and letting her head fall harshly on the desk. "I'll never get a boyfriend if I keep getting nervous whenever a cute boy looks at me in the eye…" she muttered despondently.

Ash's eyes widened when he stepped into the main area of the gym. He spotted almost one hundred people sitting on the oval shaped stands, surrounding an enormous pool full of water that he could see was slightly bigger than the standard arena issued by the League for official battles but he was sure that it was extremely deep, since after a while he could only see darkness.

He stayed on the upper stands and Pikachu and Riolu sat at his side. It only passed a few more minutes before the lights darkened and many spotlights began to illuminate the pool and that was when Ash saw them. He was sure that his face was redder than that of the receptionist from before as he laid eyes on the three gorgeous girls that started to perform very intricate and graceful movements and flips on the pool with the aid of many water pokemon such as starmie, seel, dewgong, tentacool, seaking, seadra and one massive Gyarados that was even bigger than his own.

While the pokemon and the show were indeed impressive, Ash was more focused on the three teenage girls. One had golden blond hair and was wearing a blue bikini that accentuated her very voluptuous and well proportioned body, another had blue hair, which seemed to be natural since her eyebrows also were blue, and while not as voluptuous as the blond she had wider hips and a more fit figure. The last one had dark pink hair and while she was petit on the chest area, her hips were as wide as the ones belonging to the bluenette and her ass was the biggest.

Ash shook his head of such thoughts before he began to patiently wait for the act to end. It took about thirty minutes before everyone was clapping and shouting congratulations and compliments at the crew of human girls and water pokemon, who were waving at the crowd merrily. Ash waited for another ten minutes for everyone else to leave before he went down the stand and into the pool area and approached them.

He blushed. They were even more beautiful up close. He cleared his throat and gained their attention. The red haired and blue haired girl zeroed their eyes on pikachu and Riolu for a second before squealing and scooping them up, pressing them into their bosoms.

"Oh my god they are so cute! Don't you think so, Violet?" said the one with red hair as she continue to press Pikachu into her bust. Pikachu seemed to be enjoying it as he purred and rubbed his head against her.

"They certainly are, Lily!" Answered the blue haired one, Violet, as she did the same to Riolu who was actually blushing and struggling, albeit halfheartedly, to get out of her clutches. He seemed to sigh before shrugging and settled for enjoying the hug.

The blond haired one chuckled as she shook her head fondly. "Pardon my sisters. They always get, like, super excited when they see cute pokemon and that Pikachu and Riolu certainly fill the bill on that department," she explained with some exasperation before looking at him up and down. Her smile widened before crossing her arms under her bust, pushing her big breasts further and they looked like they were about to burst out of her bikini top. "And what can I do for you, cutie? Autograph time has ended."

Ash averted his eyes quickly but blushed at the knowing smile and mirthful eyes which she was looking at him with. "Ummm, well, I actually came here for a Gym Battle but the receptionist at the front told me that there was a water show first before you were taking challengers. It was very impressive by the way and I see that it takes a lot of time, training and coordination to pull off those maneuvers," complimented Ash as he rubbed the back of his head.

Daisy smirked at him. "Well, I'm glad you liked it and since you stayed to watch the show then you are going to be the first challenger of the day. How many badges do you have and for how long had you been a trainer?"

"I've got one badge and I began my journey and a half a month ago in Pallet Town," said Ash as took discreet glances at her and her sisters, which apparently they noticed since they were looking at him knowingly. They didn't seem bothered by them though.

Daisy hummed before nodding her head. "I believe a two on two, individual battles would suffice for me to tell if you are ready to earn the Cascade badge," she said before looking at Violet and Lily, who were still gushing at Pikachu and Riolu. "Give him back his pokemon you two. We are going to have a battle. What's your name by the way?" She inquired.

"Ash Ketchum," he replied as he too gave Pikachu and Riolu a look.

Violet and Lily seemed disappointed but funnily enough, Pikachu and Riolu seemed even more disappointed as they moved away from the two girls and approached Ash, taking their respective position near their trainer. The three sisters walked across the pool and stood at the opposite end of it in front of Ash. Daisy clapped her hands and suddenly, white, solid looking platforms emerged from within the pool and littered its surface, floating lazily.

Daisy picked up one of the pokeballs that was at the edge of the pool of where she was standing and released one of the seadra that participated on the water show. A rumbling sound was heard from deep within its chest as it glared at Ash but its eyes were warm. Ash regarded the creature for a moment and decided to release Scyther on one of the platforms. Seadra were incredibly fast one water so he needed to counter that speed with something even faster. When scyther was revealed, Daisy's smile widened as her sister's eyes grew. It seemed like they were expecting him to own a Scyther with only a month and a half time as a trainer under his belt.

Daisy cocked her curvy hip to the side and rested one hand on it. "Seadra, darling, use smokescreen and then water gun. Don't let up," she said with a smile and gleaming eyes. She knew that this was going to be a very good and close fight and she was not going to make it easy for him.

Ash watched as Seadra's half of the pool was covered in black smoke and his vision of it was obstructed. "Dodge the water guns. Use the platforms," said Ash calmly, crossing his arms over his chest. Scyther nodded and began to use quick attack and agility to enhance his perception, reaction time and speed.

Suddenly, a blast of pressurized water was shot directly at Scyther's front but the mantis pokemon quickly jumped to an adjacent platform, evading the attack completely. A second later another blast was fired and Scyther dodged that one in the same manner by jumping back to the previous platform. A blast was shot at an angle from Scyther's right and he was forced to jump towards a platform that was further away to the left.

A minute later an ash realized that they had reached an stalemate. Scyther was too fast for seadra to hit but Seadra's attacks were also too fast and to precise and unpredictable for Scyther to counter attack by closing in. It seemed that they needed to another approach. Ash stared at Scyther as he jumped from platform to platform evading the blast of water coming from different angles and places of the smokescreen.

They needed to get rid of that first. As he watched Scyther move so fast from one platform to the other that he created an afterimage, he got an idea. "Double team when in the air and go up," said Ash quietly enough so only Scyther could hear him. He heard him loud and clear because the next time he was forced to jump, he split into many copies of himself that landed on all seven platforms that littered the side of the pool that was not covered in black smoke.

It seemed like his plan to confuse seadra worked since the blasts of water stopped for almost five seconds before they began a new and where fired at each of the Scyther's copies, dispelling them when they contacted. He grinned when he heard Daisy's next command. "It's up there. Reach it with whirlpool!" Ash looked up to see Scyther hovering almost thirty feet above them, looking down at the cloud of smoke.

Said cloud of smoke began to dissipate as the effort to maintain it was instead directed into forming a whirlpool at the middle of the pool it grew until it began to pull the platforms before, with a deep rumble, Seadra launched it at the airborne Scyther at grater speeds that the one used by the girl's staryu a month ago. Ash didn't bother to usher a command. Scyther knew that he needed to evade the wide vortex of water and what to do next.

Scyther narrowed his eyes before he began to descend at high speeds, seemingly attempting to meet the vortex of water head on but at the last moment he did a corkscrew and spun along its length, evading it completely. This was thanks to his usage of agility and quick attack. When he was halfway down, Scyther stopped glowing with the power of those techniques and disappeared in a wrapping of dark, black energy.

Ash grinned and the eyes of the three sisters eyes' widened when Scyther appeared next to Seadra in the same warping of dark energy, who also widened its eyes when he saw his opponent standing on the water before it was hit with a glowing white rising blade that forced it out of the water before it was hit by another one that was coming down and sent it flying towards one of the walls. That grin, however, turned into a scowl when Seadra launched an ice beam that hit Scyther one the wing and the chest and also sent his pokemon flying.

Both pokemon hit the wall, cracking them slightly, and were rendered unconscious. Seadra had directly hit by two of Scyther's slash attacks, which were very strong on their own and they were enhanced by pursuit. Scyther had been hit by a super effective attack that caused four times the damage due to his double typing as a bug type and flying type and he also hit the wall quite hard. Ash returned him with a frown but congratulated him earnestly. That Seadra was very experienced and it had a terrain advantage but they still had room to improve.

"Don't be too hard on it and on yourself, Ash." He looked up to see Daisy returning her unconscious pokemon before setting it down its pokeball after whispering some words to it and then picked another one up. "Seadra hit your scyther by pure luck. This was your win," she said before smirking. "But the next one is not going to be as easy! Starmie!" She then released a purple star with ten 'limbs' and a bigger jewel on its center. It made a weird, deep squealing sound before it began to float above the water.

Ash considered it for a moment. He knew that it was capable of learning electric attacks and he didn't want to risk it with pidgeotto so he looked at the rodent on his shoulder. "You are up body. This should be easy enough."

Pikachu nodded. _"Finally is my turn!"_ Was heard through the bond before Pikachu jumped from Ash's shoulder and into one of the platforms, his cheeks sparking as he glared challengingly at the star fish pokemon.

Ash quickly analyzed the situation and he knew that he had a slight advantage with Pikachu. Starmie couldn't go into the water since that would spell the end of the fight for it. That was one major issue he could ignore but there was the thing with Starmie's powerful psychic attacks and how versatile they could be. They needed to tread lightly here and play it safe. There was no use on being reckless and lose the battle before it started.

"Thunderbolt! And keep them going," he said with a smirk on his face. Pikachu was surrounded by a clacking yellow aura before a wide arc of electricity was fired wuth pin point accuracy at the starfish pokemon. Pikachu had made his attacks so strong now that he could smell burnt ozone when Pikachu used his electric attacks. Also, the hairs of his arms and the back of his neck would stand up and his skin would tingle.

"Rapid spin! Then water pulse!" commanded Daisy with a flourish of her arm that would've made anyone else, except maybe for he sisters, look ridiculous but it somehow suited her. Starmie complied with the order immediately, spinning rapidly out of the way of Pikachu's attack, which collided with the pool and electrified it, and then it formed a blue sphere made of swirling water with a white core and launched it at Pikachu.

Ash didn't have to say anything as Pikachu jumped into the air and in the span of two seconds formed a ball at the tip of his tail of similar size but it was colored black with a shining white core and thin arcs of lightning running across it. The two attacks collided at the middle of the pool, and the electric attack destabilized the energy on the water sphere and it resulted on the two techniques collapsing and exploding into many electrified thick drops of water that fell into the pool.

"Psybeam!"

Ash watched as Starmie's gem glowed with a lot of colors before firing an arching beam composed of those colors at Pikachu, who jumped to another platform to avoid being hit by the attack. Ash noticed that the platform was destroyed when the psybeam hit it and his eyes widened when the process was repeated. Their plan was to leave Pikachu without footing so he could be easy picking for Starmie's psychic attack later. They needed to do something now.

"Agility and quick attack into Iron Tail," Ash shouted just when Pikachu landed on one of the platforms at the other side of the pool and Starmie was already charging another psybeam. Pikachu abruptly turned around, towards the floating starfish, and seemed to disappear just before the attack hit. He appeared just a moment later above starmie and he did a front flip with a brightly glowing tail ready to strike Starmie.

"Light screen!" Daisy shouted with some desperation and Starmie managed to form the psychic construct but it was not stable enough to complete block Pikachu's attack and it was shattered and Starmie was sent into the pool with a splash. "Get out of there hurry!" She shouted, knowing what was coming, but it was too late.

"Thunderbolt," said Ash with a smile and a tone of finality and Pikachu, still in mid air, fired off a quicker, but weaker, arc of electricity that was enough to electrify the entire pool. The yellow rodent kept the attack for five seconds before letting it fade and landing lightly one of the platforms. A few second later a knocked out Starmie emerged from the pool, floating gem up and said gem was pulsing on and off, indicating inability to fight.

Daisy sighed before smiling as she recalled her knocked out pokemon. "You did your best out there. Take a good rest now," she whispered before she looked up to see Pikachu jumping into a laughing Ash's arm and the two of them hugging each other. Her smile widened as she heard her two sisters coo at the cute scene. She hummed as she began to walk towards him around the pool. Skilled and cute, what a delightful combination was Ash Ketchum.

Pikachu settled on Ash's shoulder and the black haired boy turned towards the approaching sisters. He took the tear drop shaped badge from her and he marveled at its simplicity and beauty before pocketing it. "You did a splendid job, Ash. You managed to adapt to a disadvantageous situation and not act recklessly when presented with an advantageous. You flowed like the water during the battle and for that you deserve the Cascade badge and the TM for Water Pulse," she told him with a smile, also handing him the blue colored disk.

Violet nodded her head. "Yeah! That was, like, incredibly awesome and smooth. Your scyther was pretty fast and it knocked out seadra with only two strikes. You trained it well," she complimented him, looking at him with excited, shining eyes that made him a little nervous.

Lily clasped her hands under her chin and gave Pikachu a dreamy look. "And he is as skilled as he is as cute. You say that you only have one and a half month as a trainer? It'll be scary to see you in a few months," she said with a not-at-all-scared giggle.

Ash sweat dropped as Daisy smirked and looked at him in a way that made him even more nervous. "Well, for my part, I would like to see how far he has gotten in a few months from here. Would you mind coming back for a rematch?" She asked him with a cute pout and a rapid blink of her eyes.

Ash coughed before grinning and nodding before he turned around. He looked back at them with a smirk. "Sure. Why not? Maybe we could compare Gyarados next time?" He wondered out loud before he began to walk to the exit, waving at them over his head, Pikachu and Riolu doing the same.

The three sisters followed him with their eyes before the three of them sighed dreamily. "He was so cool," muttered Lily as she cupped her face and looked at the ceiling with closed eyes.

Violet was fanning her red face. "He was so cool he got me all hot and bothered with that last bit about his Gyarados!" Exclaimed the bluenette, as she rubbed her thighs together before looking at her older sister. "Do you think he was telling the true about that?"

Daisy shrugged but she licked her lips sensually. "I don't know about that but…" She trailed off as she giggled and smirked. "We'll be battling and doing so much more when he comes by again," she said with a throaty voice.

Lily and Violet looked at each other before giggling.

 **-AM: KOI-**

Ash decided not to head out towards Vermillion City right after the battle since he wanted to make sure that Scyther, who had healed himself with Aura, was at a hundred percent before they left Cerulean. He went back to the Pokemon Center, and after apologizing to Pidgeotto for not using her in battle and giving her the TM's for Aerial Ace and Steel Wing (He also gave them to Scyther too after a few minutes), he called his mother who was more than happy to hear from him.

"Hello there, Ashy! How is it going?" She asked with a happy smile on her face. Ash noticed that she was on her room, meaning that it wasn't a week day. He blushed as he noticed she wearing only bra and panties but he decided to ignore it. It wasn't like it was the first time he saw her like that.

He grinned and showed her the Cascade badge. "Pretty good actually. I got my second bade already and my team is getting stronger every day. Nidoran is very, very close to evolving even and I already gave Pidgeotto and Scyther the TM's you sent me. We are going to rest for today and head out tomorrow," said Ash as he leaned back into the bed. Pidgeotto was perched on a steel pole that came out of the wall and Scyther was resting beneath her. Riolu, Nidoran and Pikachu were curled up at the foot of the bed. Gyarados was on her pokeball obviously.

Delia's eyes brightened at that. "Congratulations on everything Ashy! You are making me so proud and you are making so much money with battling that I think we are going to be able to open another restaurant in two months if you keep up that pace!" She said with an excited giggle, making him blush in embarrassment, before looking at him curiosly. "Are going to pass through Saffron to reach Vermillion?"

Ash shook his head. "No, I won't. I will be tempted to challenge Sabrina but there is no way I'll beat her with my current level and without a ghost or dark type. I will take the month long rout to Vermillion to train, expand and diversify my team more. I'll challenge Lt. Surge and then Erika in Celadon. After that I will go around Saffron to Lavender to catch a Ghost type and train it for at least a month before I challenge Sabrina," explained Ash, rubbing his chin as he decided that it was an acceptable course of action.

His mother nodded her head in acceptance. "Be sure to visit the St. Anne when you are in Vermillion since its going to stay there for a week before it departs to Hoenn. Also, is there anything that you want me to send to Vermillion?"

Ash shook his head. "Not for the moment. I'll keep in contact with you weekly and tell you if I need anything," said Ash before he raised an eyebrow when his mother's head shot up and a wide smile split her face before she turned down to look at the screen.

"That's good Ashy. Well, I got to go. Got something very important that I need to do now. Get some rest! Love you!" She said before the screen went black.

Ash blinked before he shrugged. He took off his X-Transceiver and put it on the little table next to Gyarados' pokeball before he went and turned off the lights of the room. He got into the bed and leaned his head back into the comfortable pillow and sighed. There was a bunch of things going through his head, all of them about new training methods and tactics. But, just for a moment, he thought about Daisy, Lily and Violet, without their bathing suits. His eyes shot open, red in the face.

What in the hell was that?

 **-AM: KOI-**

Ash had just stepped out of Cerulean, Pikachu on his shoulder and Riolu loyally by his side when he heard that oh so familiar and annoying voice he hoped he never had to hear again calling his name. He took a deep breath, and turned towards Gary with a neutral expression on his face. He immediately noticed the arrogant smirk on his face as he walked spinning a pokeball on his finger. He raised an eyebrow at that. It seemed like he hadn't lose a battle after he crushed him.

"Well, well, well… I see that you haven't evolved your pokemon Ashy-boy," commented Gary snidely as he laid leering eyes on Pikachu and Riolu, who glared at him. "Does that mean that you've gotten worse instead of better?"

Ash deadpanned at him. "That's rich coming from the guys that lost his first battle against me, said battle which was also my first one," returned Ash with a smile on his face. Pikachu and Riolu snickered.

" _That was a good one,"_ commented Scyther with a 'Not bad' tone of voice.

Gar growled before he calmed down and flicked his hair arrogantly. "Just so you know. That I have already gotten four badges and I've captured thirty pokemon. Anything you want to say about that?"

Ash decided not to say that he had captured forty eight Pokemon so he instead went for the other thing he said. "Four badges? Any one of them for major gyms and for actually beating them?" He asked with real curiosity.

Gary got a heated glare on his face as he gripped his pokeball tightly. "You know what? Let's have our pokemon do the talking for us! Go, Fearow!" Gary was almost frothing at the mouth as he released the brown colored flying type. It gave a shrill caw before glaring at him.

Ash smirked. This was the perfect opportunity to test Pidgeotto's new moves. He released her and she gave her own battle cry before she matched the fearow's glare with one of her own before she flapped her wings and shot into the sky.

Gary smirked at him. "That little bird is nothing compared to Fearow!" He pointed up dramatically. "After it! Drill peck!" Gary shouted. Fearow glared at him for his loud voice, all bird Pokemon had really sensitive hearing, but it nevertheless flapped its own wings before shooting off towards Pidgeotto.

"Twister. Tire it out. Then use your new moves," said Ash simply before he looked up. It was early in the morning so the sun was not an issue and he could clearly see what was happening high up in the sky.

Pidgeotto cawed at the incoming fearow before opening her beak and firing off a wide funnel of winds at it. Pidgeotto has also upped her output of power so her twister attack was as wide as her wingspan and it was noticeably faster. It reached her opponent in three seconds and Fearow tried to dodge and succeeded partially on doing soon because the winds generated by the attack still managed to hurt him a little.

Fearow righted itself and began to spin rapidly, glowing wicked beak pointed at Pidgeotto as it attempted to run through her with its drill peck attack. Pidgeotto just stared at her opponent with disdain before flapping her wings and raising a few feet higher, making the fearow pass below her with a lot of room the spare. It stopped spinning, shook his head, turned around and glared at Pidgeotto before attempting to hit her again with the same attack.

Pidgeotto seemed to scoffed before her eyes glowed white as she used Aura to manipulate the air currents around her. She stayed in place as Fearow neared her at decent speed before it suddenly dived down out of nowhere when it was a few feet away from Fearow. Ash heard Gary's frantic shouts and it seemed they reached fearow because it stopped spinning and shook its head.

Then Pidgeotto dived down herself, her body outline with curved lines of energy that originated from her beak as she zeroed on the still confused Fearow with Aerial Ace. Just when she was a few feet away from it, she disappeared only to appear a second later hitting it in the chest and sending it flying with a pained caw.

"Get a hold of yourself! Use hyper beam!" Gary shouted and Ash's eyes widened at that. How did Gary manage to teach Hyper Beam to his fearow. Sure his Gyarados knew how to do it but she already did when he captured her. He calmed down, however, when he saw Pidgeotto preparing her next move. Fearow was not going to have any time to do anything.

Pidgeotto enhanced her body with quick attack and agility before using tailwind to create a bubble of air around her and she shot towards fearow a buffeting speeds. When she knew she had the momentum necessary to make her next attack devastating, she stopped using quick attack as her wing took on a metallic glow and she rammed one into Fearow's chest, sending it into the ground un an unconscious heap.

Before it crashed, Gary recalled it with a glare on his face before releasing a kadabra. Ash regarded it for a moment before recalling pidgeotto and congratulating her. He released Scyther and enjoyed the wide eyed look that Gary sent him.

"How the fuck did you get a Scyther?" He almost shrieked as he stared at the rare bug type with wide eyes filled with greed. It looked like he had been wanting one hasn't gotten any luck in getting it.

Ash shrugged his shoulders. "Just as you got your kadabra there. I captured it," replied Ash sarcastically before crossing his arms over his chest. "Are you going to make the first move or should I?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

Gary growled before he pointed at Scyther. "Use confusion then shadow ball!" Kadabra nodded its fox like head and its fluffy tail waved as it raised its spoon which began to glow a faint blue along with its eyes.

Ash gave Gary an incredulous look as Scyther was outlined with a faint blue glow that he only had to move his head and shoulders a little to break. Had Gary forgotten the bug types were strong against psychic types because their minds and physiology were alien to the psychics? He shrugged again. That was not his problem.

As Scyther jumped away from a black sphere with a dark blue core of swirling ghostly energy, Ash gave his own command. "Use pursuit and slash. Then your new moves," said Ash in a bored fashion.

Scyther nodded and smirked before he disappeared in a warp of dark energy only to reappear seconds later, hitting Kadabra's frail body with a glowing blade cloaked in darkness that sent it flying with a deep cut on its chest and a sharp cry of pain. Grey arcs of electricity ran across Kadabra's body as it landed harshly and tried to get up. Pursuit was an attack that used the energies of the dark types, which were a void in the perception of the world for the psychics and any contact with that energy would render their powers unusable ofr a short period of time.

Then Scyther carried out his next command with utmost efficiency. He flew low towards Kadabra, body cloaked in the same manner as pidgeotto as he used Aerial Ace and disappeared a few feet away from Kadabra, who managed to stand up only to be sent back to the ground unconscious when it was hit in the chest with a glowing, metallic wing.

Gary was snarling now as he glared dagger at Ash as he returned his kadabra. He didn't, or wasn't able, to say anything as he released his eevee. It yipped happily before taking a serious expression on its face as it took a ready position, ready to fight.

Ash gave Gary an amused look as he returned Gary with a word of congratulations. "Are you sure that you want to keep going? We both know how this is going to end." Gary looked like he was about to bark at him before Ash shrugged and released Nidoran who lowered his horn, which began to leak poison, extended his barbs and began growling at Eevee.

"Shadow ball!" Shouted Gary and Eevee nodded before opening her mouth and forming the sphere of ghostly energy and firing it at Nidoran.

"Dig."

Nidoran nodded before doing a little jump and then falling paws first into the ground, disappearing into a hole of his own making and the shadow ball passed without hitting anything. It only took a few seconds for Nidoran to emerge since he was particularly fast underground and he emerged just below Eevee, the evolution pokemon crying out in pain as it was hit with a double kick and sent flying by the effective attack. Nidoran charged at her with a lowered horn, dripping with poison.

"Iron Tail!" Gary cried triumphantly and Ash's eyes widened when Eevee jumped to its feet and smacked Nidoran away with a metallic glowing tail. Steel types attack were very effective against poison types because they caused enough blunt force trauma to rupture the poison sacks inside of a poison type, which would spread through their system weakening them heavily. They produced the venom, yes, but their organs were not meant to get in contact with it.

Ash, worry deep on his stomach, was about to ask Nidoran if he was alright when he stood up and began to glow brightly. Ash's eyes widened further and a massive grin split his face as he saw Nidoran growing at least twice in size. His barbs became larger and bigger, just as did his horn and his overall body structure became stockier. The glow died down and Ash beheld his new Nidorino as he roared his name.

" _Now this is what I was talking about,"_ said Nidorino in a deeper voice as he glared down at Eevee who was now looking quite nervous.

Ash grinned at Gary, who looked like someone had unhinged his jaw and had substituted his eyeballs with dinner plates. "So… shall we continue?"

Gary sent a look to the newly evolved Nidorino, then at Pikachu and Riolu before shaking his head, returning Eevee and glaring at Ash before running away without another word. Ash smirked at his retreating form. "Smell ya later!" He shouted with a chuckle, that was shared through the bond, before he approached Nidorino and knelt. He patted him on the side, giving his new barbs a curious look. "Congratulations on evolving Nidorino!" Everyone else also shouted their congratulations through the bond they shared.

Nidorino nodded his head. " _Thanks Ash. It would take some time to get use to it but it won't be much problem. I feel much, much stronger now and my poison is also stronger,"_ said Nidorino as he began to slowly walk around, with Pikachu and Riolu at his side just in case he faltered in one step.

Ash stood up and pointed his red scanning device at Nidorino.

Nidorino: The evolved form of a male Nidoran. Nidorino has a horn that is harder than a diamond. If it senses a hostile presence, all the barbs on its back bristle up at once, and it challenges the foe with all its might. Upon evolution Nidorino had learned the moves Horn Attack, Poison Jab and Toxic Spikes. Sucker Punch, his egg move, hasn't been unlocked yet.

Ash grinned at that before pocketing his pokedex. It seemed like now he and Nidorino could star developing a personalized fighting style just for him. He would let him get used to his new body first before they begun working on it. As he watched amusedly as Nidorino began to play tag with Pikachu and Riolu, he thought something that he was sure he never thought he would ever say.

' _Thank you, Gary.'_

* * *

 **A slightly shorter chapter folks since I only needed to cover Ash's second gym battle, Ash beginning to notice girls sexually, Ash's second battle (if you can call that ownage a battle0 with Gary and Nidoran's evolution. I also gave a clue to what special ability the usage of Raw aura give's nidoran in this chapter. Next chapter is going to be much larger and is going to be larger and it will also cover another evolution. You'll get a cyber cookie if you guess who is going to evolve.**

 **As always let's put Ash's Team and the moves they currently know:**

 **Riolu (M): Quick Attack, Agility, Foresight, Counter, Force Palm, Blaze Kick, Aura Sphere, Low Sweep, Double Kick and Brick Break.  
Pikachu (M): Quick Attack, Agility, Double Team, Iron Tail, Thunderbolt, Thunder Wave and Electro Ball.  
Gyarados (F): Hyper Beam, Hydro Pump, Dragon Rage, Twister, Crunch, Flamethrower, Ice Beam and Thunderbolt.  
Scyther (M): Quick Attack, Agility, Double Team, Slash, Fury Cutter, Wing Attack, Pursuit, Aerial Ace and Steel Wing.  
Pidgeotto (F): Quick Attack, Agility, Gust, Twister, Tailwind, Steel Wing and Aerial Ace.  
Nidorino: Horn Attack, Fury Attack, Double Kick, Poison Sting, Poison Jab and Toxic Spikes. **

**Ash's team is growing to be very powerful indeed and in the next chapter is going to get even more powerful and varied so look up to it. Tell me what you think of the story so far on the review section. Would you believe that I cooked this four chapters in only a week?**


	5. For The Sake Of Irony

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon or the concept for Aura Bond. Pokemon belongs to Satoshi Tajiri and Aura Bond I believe was first used by dragonwolf12 on his story 'The Chosen One's Journey'. I only own the plot.**

* * *

It had been a week since he left Cerulean and Ash was deep within the forest between Cerulean and Saffron. Not a lot of interesting things had happened since there because all he did was train with his pokemon and battle every trainer he could find but what did happened was that his pokemon were continuing to grow by leaps and bounds.

Pikachu and Riolu had continued to increase their output of power and getting more experience by battling as much as they could and sparring with the rest of the team. Scyther and Pidgeotto had also gotten used to their new moves and could implement them in tandem with their older techniques. They were both working on air slash but they were having a little trouble with the control but it wasn't something to worry about. Gyarados was still struggling with using her Aura to fly and was taking her frustrations on unlucky trainers that attempted to try their luck with her.

The one that took the cake was Nidorino, however, with how much he had advanced in the past week. After he got used to his new body and mastered the moves that he learned upon evolving, Ash had given Nidorino the TMs for Thunderbolt and Ice Beam, which he was still working on mastering. They had also developed a fighting style revolving around Toxic Spikes, Nidorino's long range attacks and misdirection. They would start with toxic spikes and begin attacking the foe from afar, goading them to think that they didn't want them to get in close, which would made their opponents want to go in close, only for Nidorino to show them his prowess in close range combat. It was a sound tactic and they were still easing into it and trying to incorporate all of Nidorino's skill set into it but that was the basic idea of the fighting style.

Ash and his team were currently on a clearing, a pong big enough that he could release Gyarados without issue. They were taking a break from training and battling this afternoon because while it was good to train hard, training too hard and without rest could be as bad as not training at all. Pikachu, Riolu and Nidorino were playing by the lake, pretty close to Gyarados who was napping. Pidgeotto was roosting one of the threes and Scyther had a pile of berries at his side, eagerly enjoying them one by one.

Ash himself was currently leaning against a tree as he thought about anything non concerning pokemon and battles since he wanted to give himself a break too. He had a permanent dust of pink on his face as he thought back to the three sisters that ran the Cerulean Gym. He didn't know why but he was certainly going to come back there. As a matter of fact, he was going to do the gym circuit twice. And then…

Ash shook his head and groaned as his thoughts drifted right back to Pokemon but thankfully his face was back to normal now thanks to that. He looked up towards were he last saw Pikachu, Riolu and Riolu on the pond and he blinked when he saw an oddish sneaking past the sleeping Gyarados and lowering its body to the pond to start drinking water. Ash's frowned when he saw that its body looked pale and the leaves on its head were not standing as high as they should be. This Pokemon was clearly sick and there wasn't a pokemon center soon. The closest one was three days away.

Ash stood up and slowly walked up to oddish. "Hey there little guy," he called softly, announcing his presence to it. It turned sharply to look at him and it had a mild surprised expression on its face as it prepared to run. Ash raised his hands, showing it that they were empty and that he meant no harm. "I'm not going to hurt you. I just noticed that you were looking a bit sick and I might know a way to help you. Would you mind if I try?" Ash asked, stopping a few feet away from it.

The oddish looked at Ash for several more seconds before sending a glance to Ash's Pokemon, who weren't paying attention to them. Oddish nodded hesitantly and Ash smiled as he step towards it and knelt before touching him. He began to send Heal Pulses through the oddish's body, not stopping until Oddish looked as healthy as one of its species were supposed to look.

Ash removed his hand and gave Oddish a kind smile. "There you go! Are you feeling better?" Ash laughed when the oddish nodded its head and began to jump happily. After his laugh ended, Ash was about to link their minds so he could ask Oddish if he wanted to be a part of his team but he heard the bushes rustling and he turned towards them only to see a bulbasaur stepping out that began to walk towards them.

Ash raised an eyebrow when Bulbasaur began to give him and Oddish wide eyed looks as he approached. When he reached them, a green vine extended from beneath the bulb on its back and pointed between him and oddish repeatedly. Ash cocked his head to the side before shrugging and connecting their minds with a tendril of Aura.

" _Speak in your mind. I'm an Aura Guardian in training so I can use this to communicate with Pokemon as if they could speak the language with human do,"_ said Ash, chuckling when Bulbasaur jumped slightly and gasped.

" _How do you heal his illness?"_ Bulbasaur asked in smooth, male voice that sounded very surprised.

Ash shrugged his shoulders. _"_ That's another thing I can do with Aura. I can heal almost everything by using a technique called Heal Pulse. It's actually pretty easy and the amount of Aura it consumes is so small that by the time I use the second one, the amount of Aura I spent on the first one has been already replenished,"explained Ash nonchalantly as it was not big deal, which to him it wasn't.

Bulbasaur was looking at him in awe and it was making him a little uncomfortable. " _I know that we just met but would you mind coming with me to a villa a few miles away from here? It's full of ill Pokemon and while the human lady to do her best to take care of and cure them, they just don't heal. Would you mind giving us a hand?"_ Bulbasaur pleaded and his eyes were giving Ash a hopeful look.

Ash smiled at him reassuringly as he stood up. "Sure! Why not? I'm always up to helping pokemon whenever I can," said Ash before he went back to retrieve his bag and pokeballs and recall his friends after explaining them what was the issue. He completely missed the wide eyed look that was being sent his way by Bulbasaur.

Ash, with Pikachu and Riolu the only pokemon of his that were outside of his pokeball, like always, began to follow Bulbasaur and Oddish through the woods. As they walked, he spotted many traps that Bulbasaur explained were used to stop humans from going or getting near to the village. After the passed a wooden bridge that made Ash and his pokemon uneasy, and after walking for a few more minutes from there, they arrived at a clearing that had a similar pond to the one he had been previously but it was bigger and it also had a wooden cottage at the edge of it.

Ash noticed the many Pokemon that were all near the pond, most of them grass types and bug types but they were a few normal types too. All of them looked pale and their movements weren't ass graceful and steady as they should be. It seemed like they were suffering the same illness as Oddish and he deduced that it was due to something in the air. He looked down at Bulbasaur and wondered why he wasn't affected. Maybe he had to something with him being partially a poison type.

Ash looked up when the door of the cottage opened and walked out a pretty teen with blue hair wearing a red overall over a pink shirt. As she walked up to him, he noticed that she had a slim, yet fit figure and that she had defined muscles on her arms. It seemed like she was one of those girls that liked to thing with their own hands.

Melanie looked at the human with wide eyes and then at Bulbasaur. "Why did you bring him with you? This is not like you Bulbasaur," she wasn't accusing him of anything, she just sounded curious as Bulbasaur's strange behavior. He was always harsh when dealing with other humans that got to close to the villa and she knew that he liked her just because she took care of the Pokemon the best she could.

In response, Bulbasaur pointed at Ash with an extended vine and then picked up Oddish and presented it to her. Melanie's eyes widened as she noticed that he looked very healthy and the symptoms of his sickness were nowhere to be seen. She immediately got what Bulbasaur was trying to say and she gave Ash another wide eye look after she gasped. "Did you heal him? How?"

Ash shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know if you have heard of them but I'm an Aura Guardian in training and I can do a lot of things, healing Pokemon from virtually anything is one of them. Bulbasaur saw me healing Oddish and he brought me here and I see that he wants me to heal the other pokemon here too," said Ash as he looked at the dozen or so pokemon that were looking at them curiously now. "My name is Ash Ketchum by the way."

Melanie, while still confused, accepted his answer and bowed. "My name is Melanie. I'm sorry for Bulbasaur troubling you but these pokemon had been sick for a while and Bulbasaur was desperate to help them, so am I. I don't know how would I repay for doing this but you have my most sincere thanks," she said, smiling brightly at him.

Ash blushed and ignored the snickering of his pokemon as he rubbed the back of his head. "Eh? Don't worry about paying me or anything. Being able to help a pokemon in need is more rewarding than anything else," said Ash softly, getting smiles from Riolu and Pikachu.

Bulbasaur gave Ash an impressed and wide eyed look and Melanie was also looking at Ash like that, but there was a blush on her face. They watched as he approached the pokemon and, as if it was magic, they began to heal slowly, and steadily, with just his touch. Weepinbell, paras, gloom, rattata, caterpie; all of them healed by just the touch of this mysterious and kind trainer named Ash Ketchum.

As he finished healing the last Pokemon, a caterpie that began using crawling away in happiness, Ash took a deep breath and as he brushed some sweat away from his forehead. Heal Pulse wasn't a taxing technique but using Aura continuously in such a manner was straining, but, as he looked at all the happy Pokemon that began to celebrate and play around, he smiled. A little of discomfort for a while was more than worth if he got to see this in exchange.

Ash walked back to Melanie and Bulbasaur to see the girl with tears in her eyes as she looked at the now healthy Pokemon. She ran towards Ash and enveloped in a hug, saying thank you as she buried her face into his chest. They both blushed as Ash felt the soft but tight curves of her body and Melanie noticed just how tall Ash was and how compact and defined were his muscles.

Bulbasaur, Pikachu and Riolu gave them strange looks as they quickly separated from one and other and refused to look at each other in the eye. Melanie had a shy expression on her face as she found her feet very interesting. "Um, Ash, would you like to come inside and get some tea? Is not much but I would like to give you something for doing all this or I would feel guilty," she said, still refusing to look at him.

Ash smiled nervously and nodded his head slowly. "Sure. Just let me release mi pokemon," said Ash before releasing Scyther, Pidgeotto and Nidorino on the ground and then Gyarados on the lake. Incredibly, she was still napping. "Don't worry. She just get angry when woken up suddenly,: assured Ash once he spotted Melanie's nervous look at having Gyarados so close.

They only took five steps towards the cottage when suddenly, it exploded in a show of debris and smoke as a orange being impacted it and they were forced to cover their eyes. When the ringing on their ears passed, they uncovered their eyes to see a completely destroyed cottage, with only burnt wood remaining. Melanie felt to her knees dumbly as she regarded the cabin she built with her own hands destroyed. Tears, this time of sadness, horror and incredulity, began to leak down her eyes.

Ash saw this and turned his head sharply towards where the beam had come from and his red eyes began to glow as he saw a black truck destroying some trees as it jumped into the clearing. Five Rocket grunts stepped out of it once it stopped and the one that have been driving looked on smugly as he smirked evilly. "See? I told you guys that there were some grass type and bug type pokemon we could take back to the base. This way we won't have to tear down the entire forest in order to get some." He then took Notice of Bulbasaur, Riolu and Scyther and smirked further. "There are a few rare pokemon we can take four ourselves too!"

The grunts nodded in agreement with smirks of their own on their face but they turned towards Ash when they heard him chuckling in amusement. They glared at him and the apparent leader, the one who was driving, took a threatening step forward. "What's it that you find so funny, runt?" He asked with a growl.

Ash's hat cast a shadow over his glowing eyes as he kept chuckling. He raised his head and his angry smirk widened when they all took step back in fear, obviously unnerved because of his red, eerily glowing eyes. "You pieces of trash just made the worst mistake in your pathetic lives," said Ash with another chuckle at the end.

And that's when they noticed the rising, massive form of Gyarados behind Ash as she glared at them with similar eyes to that of her trainer, only that hers were glowing with anger. She roared, paralyzing everyone before she charged her own Hyper Beam in less than three seconds and fire it at the grunts. It passed above Ash and Melanie, who was still looking at the remains of her home in shock and tears.

The grunts however were agile enough to jump out of the way but their truck got hit instead and it was destroyed. The evil members of the criminal organization jumped to their feet and released their Pokemon. Ash grimaced when he noticed that all of them were on their last stage: A Golem, a Hypno, a Crobat, a Weezing and an Arbok. This wasn't going o be easy.

Ash picked up Melanie and retreated as he called back to his Pokemon. "Gyarados! Stay back and protect the pokemon and support the others from afar! Pidgeotto, the Crobat! Scyther, the Hypno! Nidorino, Riolu and Pikachu! Work in tandem to take out the others! Don't hold back anything!" He shouted at his pokemon who quickly went pass him in order to keep the rockets from reaching them. Ash noticed that Bulbasaur was running with his pokemon to meet the Rocket's too.

Ash watched the battle royal unfold in front of him, knowing that he couldn't give orders to his pokemon since in this kind of situations it was better to let them fight on their own. He looked down at Melanie, who was also watching the unfolding battle with worry and sadness as she slightly got over her shock at seeing her house destroyed. "Don't worry. Me and my pokemon are going to take care of them and they will pay for this," he told her in a tight, steely, yet assuring voice. Melanie could only nod.

Ash watched as Bulbasaur took on the Golem head one. He was skillfully dodging rollouts attack by jumping away from them and retaliating with strong looking vine whips and razor leaf. They seemed to do some damage to the golem but it still wasn't enough to knock it out. Bulbasaur suddenly, instead of jumping, shot two vines into the ground and used two more vines to stop Golem from reaching him, albeit with a lot of effort. They both began to glow green as Bulbasaur apparently sapped away its energy and it then got hit by a powerful Hydro Pump from Gyarados and it got blown away and certainly knocked out. Ash was extremely impressed by this.

He then turned to Riolu who kicked the Weezing away with a flaming kick and then the purple Pokemon that was composed of two heads exploded when it was hit by a powerful thunderbolt by Pikachu, making the gasses inside of it ignite due to their flammable nature and instability. This, however, gave the Arbok opportunity to coil its long body around Pikachu tightly, making the mouse cry in pain. The arbok was about to bite Pikachu with flaming fangs but it got hit in the back by an Ice Beam that Nidorino shot from his mouth, making the arbok give a hiss of pain as it body uncurled slightly giving Pikachu enough leverage to uppercut it with an Iron Tail that sent it flying into a double blaze drop kick from Riolu that knocked it out.

Scyther was jumping from side to side as he avoided the powerful psybeams that the Hypno was firing from its pendulum to try and hit him but he was too fast for him. Scyther suddenly used Aerial Ace to get in close but it was stopped by a very powerful Reflect barrier that sent him flying back with some scoff marks on his body. Scyther growled before his eyes lit up and he used Pursuit and broke the barrier easily and rammed into the Hypno shoulder first, cloaked in dark energy. Scyther then slashed Riolu with slash and fury cutter attacks until the hypno was rendered unconscious.

Ash looked up, expecting to see Pidgeotto dominating the fight, but he was surprised to see that the Crobat was keeping up pace with her. It seemed like it was using a constant supersonic to keep her from using her most powerful combinations and she was forced to fight regularly. She attempted to hit the crobat with an Aerial Ace but she missed as Crobat used the same technique to evade the attack. Ash's eyes widened when and he held his head when Crobat focused its supersonic and amplified it. If this was causing him a headache he could only imagine what it would to Pidgeotto and her extremely sensitive ears.

She screeched in pain as she fought to not cover her ears with her wings and keep flying. That was made impossible when she was hit by various poisonous needles in the chest that injected powerful venom into her. Then Crobat used quick attack to get in close and get enough momentum to hi her hard with a powerful steel wing. Pidgeotto screeched in pain again as she began to pummel into the ground. Ash cried in desperation as he was about to recall her but that turned into awe when she began to glow as her body grew and her crest elongated.

Pidgeot gave a horrible and powerful caw as she spread her wings, which now had a span of four meters, and dispelled the light that indicated her evolution. She flapped her wings powerfully once again and rose into the air, keen eyes zeroed on the shocked crobat who had stopped using supersonic the moment Pidgeot had begun to evolve and she capitalized on this. She opened her beak and fired an absolutely humongous twister attack that buffeted the Crobat away. Pidgeot then raised a glowing wing and slashed it down, firing a blade made of wind and energy in a perfect slash attack that collided with crobat in a explosion. It pummeled into the ground, unconscious and Pidgeot cawed in victory as she gave another mighty flap.

Ash grinned at her before he pointed at the Rockets who were trying to run away. "Pikachu! Thunder wave!" The yellow rodent fired off the weak arc of blue electricity and he paralyzed them, making them all fall heavily into the ground as they twitched and groaned in pain.

The black haired aura user grin's widened when Pidgeot landed in front of him. She towered over him with her impressive height of a bit more than two meters and he laughed when she nipped at his hat, almost snapping the bill in half. "Congratulations Pidgeot! You evolved and you mastered Air Slash!" Ash said as he stroked the glossy feathers of her chest, sending Heal Pulses through her just in case her evolution didn't take care of the damage done to her.

Pidgeot puffed up her chest. _"Of course I would master such an easy technique with the power boost of evolution. That was the only thing I lacked but now I feel, and know, that I can do everything,"_ she said to him through the bond with her slightly arrogant tone. She was a prideful one and while she didn't let that be her main trait, it was still a main part of her personality. Besides, she had the right to brag and even more now that she evolved.

Scyther rolled his eyes as he approached her and looked up at her since he was just a tad shorter than Ash. " _I expect that you help me with my own Air slash now that you mastered yours."_

Pidgeot nodded her head gracefully. " _Of course. Can't have any of my teammates making me look bad, can I?"_ She said with a teasing glint on her eyes and Ash knew that if she could, she would've been smirking in amusement.

Pikachu and Riolu looked at Pidgeot with wide eyes before exchanging a glance and then turning towards her in excitement. " _You are so giving is a ride through the air sometime!"_ Theu said in unison, with Nidorino nodding in agreement.

Ash smiled as Pidgeot began reprimanding them for considering her as an instrument for their amusement but frowned when he noticed Melanie standing up at his side. He helped her up to her feet and she gave him a sad smile. "At least something good happened from all of this," she said as she admired Pidgeot before turning towards Ash and hugging him tight. "Thanks for keeping the pokemon save."

Ash nodded and returned the hug but he was still frowning. He looked at the destroyed cabin and then at the pokemon that lived here, all of them were looking at them with sadness. He got a determined glint on his eyes as he ended the hug and he began to press buttons on his X-Transceiver, much to Melanie's confusion. It ringed for a few times with the screen black and grew even more confused when a brown haired woman appeared on the screen.

"Ashy! It's good to see you!" She greeted happily but soon got a curious look on her face. "Is there something wrong? You don't usually call at his hour," she asked, slightly worried as she noticed her son's slightly ruffed appearance.

Ash gave her a serious look. "Mom, something happened in the road. I came across a girl that lived in a cabin in the woods She took care of sick pokemon and I helped her heal them with some knowledge a got from one of those books you got me. We were attacked by Team Rocket and her home got destroyed. I was hopping that you could take her in as one of your assistant. She is very knowledgeable in natural methods of healing pokemon and there are more pokemon that are going to go with her to fill up the ranch," said Ash in a pleading tone.

Melanie's eyes widened, along with that of Bulbasaur and the pokemon that she took care off as Delia smiled kindly. "Of course she can Ash. I always welcome people that are willing to help pokemon and more pokemon for the ranch means that I can study more of their behavior. Tell her that she is more than welcomed here and the she would have a place to stay and a steady salary."

Ash nodded his head with a smile on his face. "Thanks mom. Oh! Pidgeotto evolved and she is Pidgeot now so I'm going to send Melanie, that's the girls name, with her and I'm going to send the Pokemon through the X-Transceiver. Pidgeot should arrive with her before sunset" said Ash, getting a slight glare from Pidgeot but she relented when he looked at her pleadingly and she nodded slowly. She could always get him to feed her as payment anyways.

Delia's eyes shone. "Give her my congratulations! I'll be expecting her. I got to go now Ash because I'm busy right now! Love you lots!" She said before the screen went black.

Ash sighed before he turned to Melanie with a smile of his face. He opened his mouth to say something but he was shocked when Melanie wrapped her arms around his neck and closed his mouth with his in a kiss. She pressed her incredibly soft lips into his and Ash reciprocated in instinct, grabbing her hips to steady her. This was his first time kissing a girl so he was just imitating her movements. Something stirred within him when she heard him moan but before he could explore that feeling more, she separated from him.

He groaned. "That was awesome," he said excitedly as he looked at her with a blush.

She also blushed and giggled at him. "It was but I noticed that it was your first kiss. You felt like a natural at it but you got to work on your technique. Maybe…" she trailed off as she looked down and peered at him from behind her bangs with a dark blush across her cheeks. "I could help you with that."

Ash nodded his head eagerly and he leaned his head but he felt something tapping on his forehead. He blushed and he turned towards his pokemon, all of them smirking at him and looking at him with amusement. He noticed that Bulbasaur was the one who tapped him and he pointed at himself, then at his team and finally to one of his pokeballs. Ash didn't need to speak with Bulbasaur to understand what he wanted.

"You want to be a part of my team?" He asked and Bulbasaur nodded before tapping his forehead again and then his own. Ash understood and connected their minds with a tendril of Aura.

" _I want to come with you because I want to get stronger so I can keep protecting Pokemon that are threatened by others. I noticed that your team is strong and that they care much for you and that only confirms to me that you are a good and fair human, like Melanie. I wish to become a part of your team,"_ said Bulbasaur with conviction as he looked at Ash in the eye with his red eyes.

Ash ended the hug with Melanie so he could kneel before Bulbasaur. "I'm more than willing to bring you along with me as one of my team members. I noticed that you are very skilled and can hold your own against powerful opponents but you most know that I bond myself with my pokemon. That way, we can speak to each other as if we spoke the same language," said Ash before he looked back at Melanie, who was giving Bulbasaur a wide eyed , but pleased, look. "Don't tell my mother this, please. She doesn't know I can do any of this and I don't want to worry her."

Melanie just nodded. She watched as Ash pressed a empty pokeball to Bulbasaur forehead after he nodded in acceptance. The ball absorbed him and it dinged three times indicating the successful capture. Ash then released him and touched his forehead and Bulbasaur shook his head slightly after Ash stepped back. The black haired trainer brought out his pokedex and pointed it at Pidgeot and then at bulbasaur.

Pidgeot: The evolved form of Pidgeotto. This pokemon has a dazzling plumage of beautifully glossy feathers. Many TRAINERS are captivated by the striking beauty of the feathers on its head, compelling them to choose pidgeot as their pokemon. Upon evolution Pidgeot has learned the moves Air Slash and Mirror Move.

Bulbasaur: The Seed Pokemon. Bulbasaur can be seen napping in bright sunlight. There is a seed on its back. By soaking up the sun's rays, the seed grows progressively larger. t can go for days without eating a single morsel. In the bulb on its back, it stores energy. This Bulbasaur is male and has the ability Overgrow. He knows the moves: Leech Seed, Vine Whip, Sleep Power, Poison Powder, Razor Leaf, Ingrain, Giga Drain and Synthesis. Note: Ingrain and Giga Drain are egg moves. He also has Leaf Storm as an egg move but it has not been unlocked yet.

Ash nodded at his two Pokemon and showered them with praise before they were pulled away towards the rest of the Pokemon. Ash turned to Melanie with a grin on his face and approached her and wrapped his arms around her, making her blush and squeal as she looked at him with wide eyes.

Ash had a glint on his eyes. "So… about that help you offered…"

Melanie could only blush more deeply and blink before she and Ash were kissing again, the knocked out Pokemon and the still twitching Rocket Grunts forgotten for the moment.

- **AM: KOI-**

Three days later Ash was running through a rocky path as he tried to reach the Pokemon Center that was nearby as it was raining heavily. Pikachu and Riolu were both flanking him as they ran alongside him. The rain had started practically out of nowhere a few minutes ago in the idle of a training session, and that was the reason why Ash was so annoyed at the downpour right now.

In the three days that passed Pidgeot got used to her new body and the massive power boost. Her speed was unmatched and she could tear into any opponent given she had enough momentum built up. She had finished teaching Scyther Air Slash and she herself got started on learning Hurricane, modifying the technique to use it with Aura instead and Hyper Beam from Gyarados. It would be a while before she mastered those but she was patient, even if she liked to complain about it.

Gyarados was working on building up her output of power and Aura reserves and using Aura to be able to fl and she was making decent progress on it but that was still a few good months away from them. Pikachu, Riolu, Nidorino and Scyther just worked on making their attacks stronger and getting more experienced on using their battle styles without Ash commanding them. They were not going to focus on learning more techniques until they evolved, and that wasn't going to happen until they reached their limit on their current form, or in Riolu's case, felt that they were ready.

Bulbasaur simply astounded Ash. They had only time to get a general feel for his level, which was just under his older team members, and his already set battle style, which Ash actually felt really comfortable with. Bulbasaur fought like nimble tank, using moves like Synthesis, Ingrain and Giga Drain to keep his energy at the max and attacking with Razor Leaf and Vine Whip, mixing it up with the effect spores. They had also discovered that with the use of ingrain an Aura, Bulbasaur could actually grow little plants from nothing but it wasn't anything useful at the moment so they were waiting for Bulbasaur to evolve to explore that ability. Ash thought that he only needed the move Energy Ball before he was set since a long range, focused attack was always needed.

" _Hey Ash! There's a cave in there!"_ Riolu shouted as he pointed towards a small rock formation that was a good two dozen or so meters away from the main road.

Ash nodded at him in thanks before they changed direction and quickly ran into the cave. They made their way inside and Pikachu and Riolu began ruffle their fur, trying to get as dry as they could. Ash shook his head and took off his backpack so he could pull out a towel and he handed it to the two pokemon, who thanked him before they began to dry themselves with it. Ash pulled out another towel and removed his hat, vest and shirt and started to dry himself.

It was a few minutes later when both Pikachu and Riolu perked up and began to look towards further into the cave. Ash noticed this and he also began to look towards there, one hand reach towards his utility belt just in case it was a very unruly Pokemon that Pikachu and Riolu couldn't handle, which was very unlikely since the teamwork those two displayed was very impressive.

Slowly, the cave began to get laminated by an orange hue and Ash noticed that it was steadily getting warmer. Ash tensed when the orange hue stopped getting brighter and he got ready to release Nidorino to help deal with the obvious fire type, when it simply walked around the corner and revealed itself to them. It was an orange colared lizard that stood on its hind legs and had stubby arms with small, sharp claws. It had a reptilian, rounded face and wide blue eyes and at the tip of its teal was a flame, which was the reason behind the orange light and the warmth.

Ash relaxed when it merely looked at them with curiosity and weariness. He smiled kindly at him. "Hello there little guy. Would you mind helping us getting warmer?" He asked, removing his utility bell with his pokeball and set besides his backpack and pushing then further away from him, to show the charmander that he did not have ulterior motives.

Charmander relaxed a little when he saw this and nodded his head before he walked towards Ash and his two pokemon. He greeted them with a wave of his paw before he sat next to Ash, but far away enough that he could run and escape but he doubted that this human was a bad one, unlike his last trainer. The Riolu and the Pikachu looked very happy and healthy and there was no sign of mistreatment on them. It made him a little jealous.

Ash noticed how Charmander's head dropped after he stared at Riolu and Pikachu for a few seconds as he let out something akin to a sigh. He noticed how his eyes got sad and there were a few tears gathering at the corner of them. He frowned as he regarded Charmander and he finally noticed long scar that ran across its back and the other one, shaped like an x that was on its chest. His frown got deeper as he connected their minds with a tendril of Aura.

" _Hey Charmander."_ His frown lessened when Charmander gave a surprised cry and turned towards him with wide eyes, tears and bad mood forgotten. _"Excuse me if I'm intruding too much but I noticed how sad you were and also those nasty scars on your body… did you have an abusive trainer?"_ Ash asked, doing his best not to let the anger he felt slowly rising be heard on his mental voice.

Charmander looked at Ash for a few seconds before dropping heavily on the floor and letting his head hang. He nodded. _"I did. Yes. His name was Damien. He bought me because apparently, he's got a rich family. The guy didn't know how to train Pokemon in the least so he only made us fight against each other and pumped us with TMs. I got the scar on my back from a Rhydon and the two on my chest from a Victreebel. When I failed to use a proper flamethrower because I still don't have the energy to do it, he just stepped into this cave, released me and destroyed the pokeball before calling me worthless and week and he left. That was a week ago and I've stayed here ever since, training on my own to get stronger,"_ said Charmander with a growl and angry tears trailing down his face.

Ash gave his own growl of anger. He hoped to one day find that Damien guy and give him a piece of his mind, first with his pokemon and then with his fist. But that wasn't the issue right now. It was obvious that Charmander was hurt, more emotionally than physically, and he was not going to let it continue like this.

Ash shook his head as he gave Charmander a kind smile. "You don't look weak and worthless to me," said Ash, conviction on his voice. Charmander's head shot up and looked at him with wide eyes. "You don't have to blame yourself for having a stupid trainer who couldn't raise you properly. But you are still young Charmander and you can fix whatever wrong your previous trainer did with you. I'm sure of it."

Charmander looked at Ash and then his two Pokemon who were giving Ash looks full of love, loyalty, respect and care. He got a determined look on his face as he looked at Ash. " _Would you help me fix those mistakes?"_ When Ash's eyes widened he elaborated. _"I know this is sudden and everything but I noticed the way your pokemon look at you, which means that you are a very good human and they look strong, which also mean that you are a very good trainer. I want to know how having a good and caring trainer feels like,"_ said Charmander softly.

Ash's eyes widened before he smiled softly and went closer to Charmander and patted his head, making the fire lizard look up at him. "I would love to have you become a part of my team Charmander. I only ask for your complete dedication to training and battling when I ask you and that you get along with the other members of the team. You also must know that I perform a bond with and each one of my teammates so we can speak like this at every moment. Do you accept to be a part of my team?"

Charmander had wide eyes before they settled in determination and his tail flame got a little brighter. _"I do."_

Ash's smile widened before he sent a pulse of Aura through Charmander and it was returned, the form formed. He pulled out his pokedex and aimed it at Charmander.

Charmander: The Lizard Pokemon. The flame that burns at the tip of its tail is an indication of its emotions. The flame wavers when charmander is enjoying itself. If the pokemon becomes enraged, the flame burns fiercely. Charmander is male and has the ability Blaze. He knows the moves: Ember, Fire Spin, Smokescreen, Dragon Rage, Flamethrower and Dragon Claw. Note: He has the egg moves Dragon Dance and Flare Blitz but they have not been unlocked yet.

Ash looked at Charmander with wide eyes as he pocketed his pokedex. " _I don't know what your trainer was thinking when he let you go. You have the potential to become the strongest of your kind if you are trained correctly, don you think so guys?"_ Ash asked through the bond.

Charmander's eyes widened when he felt other presences entering his mind and he got the feeling of acceptance and kindness from then. He began to smile. It certainly felt good and if the Aura Bond was permanent, then this feeling was going to go with him for a long, long time.

" _He does have the potential to be great, Ash. With your training methods and the way you treat us he will be very, very strong,"_ said Riolu as he looked at Charmander with a hint of a smirk and a glint on his eyes that spoke of how much he wanted to fight him once he was up to par.

" _I think about the possibilities and it's kind of scary actually,"_ said Pikachu nervously, but giving Charmander a thumbs up nonetheless.

" _I was getting tired of being the only one with this kind of potential. Welcome to the club little one. I won't let you surpass me,"_ said Gyarados with a competitive tone on her mental voice.

" _Oh shut up you scary napping freak. You just have all that untapped power because of your size. We all will get strong as you… eventually. But serious, were your parents a Dragonite and a freakishly strong Charizard because your potential is insane, bud,"_ said Scyther and there was an undertone of excitement on his voice at the possibly of battling charmander the moment he caught up to them.

" _I hope he becomes a Charizard soon so we can have beautiful battles in the air, but he will never be as beautiful and graceful as I am,"_ said Pidgeot arrogantly, but strange enough her voice was warm and welcoming too.

" _I'd like to fight you soon Charmander! I know that it will be exciting,"_ said Nidorino, bluntly.

" _Oh is true. He does catch every pokemon he reveals he can speak to them! I owe Pikachu and Riolu those berries. Anyways, welcome to the family Charmander. Ash is a very kind and good trainer, even if he makes us work hard but it will be worthy and with your potential, I'm sure you yourself won't even believe how strong you'll be,"_ said Bulbasaur in a assuring voice.

Ash grumbled as he shot a glare to a sheepish looking Pikachu and a smug looking Riolu.

Charmander began to cry. " _Thank you guys… so much."_ But this time, they were tears of happiness and hope.

 **-AM: KOI-**

Two days later Ash was nearing a minor town halfway to Vermillion that had a PokeMart and a Pokemon Center in which he could restock on supplies and also get the TM he told his mother to send him there a few days ago after he got Bulbasaur. In these two days Ash managed to get a feel of Charmander's level and get him used to their schedule.

Charmander was just behind Bulbasaur skill and power wise but that was because he couldn't use his most powerful moves, Dragon Claw and Flamethrower, and just didn't know how to apply the moves he did know how to use in battle. Charmander had resolute on catching up to his others team members as fast as he could and Ash doubted that it will take him long. They had also discovered that with his Aura, Charmander could mix draconian energy with his own fire. They wouldn't try that until Charmander got a little stronger, since they wanted to get him set on a fighting style first.

Ash stopped walking suddenly when he saw that the soil in front of him was covered with leaves and twigs in a circular fashion. He snorted at the obvious trap and walked around it only for a group of five squirtles to pop out of some bushes. He raised an eyebrow in amusement when he saw that all of them were wearing shades, four of them wearing round ones and the apparent leader was wearing triangular ones. The leader walked up to Ash and began to say his name and point at him angrily.

Ash looked at Pikachu who had an amused look on his face. "What is he saying?"

Pikachu chuckled in amusement. " _He says that you were not supposed to not fall on his awesome trap. That you were supposed to get, erm, awesomely pranked by him and his squad and then get all of our food stolen and then left behind to starve in that hole."_

Ash chuckled, along with Riolu, and that only made Squirtle and his squad angrier. Ash stopped chuckling before he got a serious expression on his face. If this squirtle were doing this just to get some food then that meant that they were in extreme need of this.

He connected their minds with Aura. " _Squirtle, I am an Aura Guardian in training and I can use Aura to speak freely to a Pokemon's mind and you can do the same with me. Tell me, do you have a problem with getting food?"_ He asked seriously, ignoring how Pikachu and Riolu, along the rest of the team, were chuckling. They weren't laughing at the situation, they were laughing instead at how Squirtle had worded it.

Squirtle at first was surprised but he soon accepted that Ash could speak on his mind. _Holy crap this is awesome! And yes, we, the Awesome Squirtle Squad, are having some issues at getting food since the towns people refuse to give us any because of the awesome pranks we used to do on them,"_ said Squirtle sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head.

Ash hummed in thought at this. He couldn't get angry at the townspeople for refusing to give them food since they were wild pokemon and the Squirtle had pranked them a lot apparently but he couldn't help to take advantage of this situation either. "Tell you what Squirtle. I can send you and your guys to a place where you be given an steady income of food as long as you behave and you let some people study how you behave. There is a big lake too."

Squirtle gave Ash a suspicious look behind his glasses. " _And how can I know you are trying to pull my tail?"_ He asked as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Ash shrugged his arms. "My Pokemon can tell you about it and you know they won't lie of the place is not good for Pokemon. Also I can make a bond with you so you can use Aura, which would allow you to make an Aura Bond with your squad which would let you be in contact with them at all times. Keep in mind that if you make a bond with me you'll have to become my pokemon and train with me and my teams at all times."

Squirtle nodded his head before he went back to speak with his friends. Ash, Pikachu and Riolu exchanged amused look as they formed a circle and occasionally one would turn to look at them as if to assure they weren't eavesdropping. Their antics were very funny.

The leader squirtle walked back towards them. " _We will take the second option. My awesome squad will go to this place after we make this Aura Bond and test it to see if it works. Also, if I'm going to be your awesome pokemon I expect you to make me awesome strong and teach me awesome stuff so I can teach my awesome squad how to become even more awesome. Deal?"_ He extended his hand towards Ash.

Ash knelt down and shook it, using the contact to form the bond with Squirtle. Riolu then spent a few minutes teachingSquirtle how to use his Aura to perform an Aura Bond before Squirtle went to perform it with his friends. Ash pulled out his pokedex and pointed it at Squirtle.

Squirtle: The Tiny Turtle Pokemon. Squirtle's shell is not merely used for protection. The shell's rounded shape and the grooves on its surface help minimize resistance in water, enabling this pokemon to swim at high speeds. Squirtle is male and has the ability Torrent. He knows the moves: Water Gun, Withdraw, Bubblebeam, Rapid Spin and Aqua Tail. Note: He has the egg moves Water Spout and Mist but they have not been unlocked yet.

Ash shared a look with Riolu and Pikachu as they saw the Squirtle Squad beginning to exchange 'manly' hugs with 'manly' tears of apparent happiness and sadness. He grinned nervously as he scratched the back of his head. "That was certainly easy, wouldn't you agree?"

- **AM: KOI-**

Ash stood on a clearing as he looked at his Pokemon, who were all arranged in a line before him. It had been two days since he captured Squirtle and Ash decided that he wouldn't be capturing any more pokemon till he beat Surge and got his third badge. He was going to focus solely on the ones that he had at the moment so he could make them as strong as they could for the battle.

"Alright, look. Lt. Surge is on a whole other level than the trainers and leaders we have faced and I don't think he will be pulling his punches so in this to weeks I'm going to make sure that we work extra hard." Ash then pointed at Riolu, Pikachu, Scyther and Nidorino. "You guys will work on upping your output of power, speed, endurance and reaction time by constantly firing your attacks and sparring and battling. Scyther, you won't be battling in the gym since it is an electric type but that doesn't mean you get to slack off." They nodded in acceptance.

Ash then turned towards Gyarados and Pidgeot. "You two will also work on your output of power and endurance. Gyarados I want you to keep trying to learn how to fly using you Aura and also upping your reserves. You do the same Pidgeot and work on using your Aura to perform Hurricane. Obviously you won't be battling on this gym. That would be nasty," He said with a grimace and they nodded their heads too.

Ash then turned towards Bulbasaur, Charmander and Squirtle. "I will help you three develop your own fighting styles, or in your case Bulbasaur, get me adapted to yours, as I train you to get stronger. Bulbasaur I want you to perfect Energy Ball as fast as you can so we can integrate it in the way you fight. You are going to fight at the gym. Charmander, we will work on getting your output up and developing new ways we could apply the moves you know in battle. Squirtle, I want you to perfect Water Pulse and Ice Beam by the end of the week. When you get that done, work on that Aura ability of yours to pull water out of the environment and manipulate it. It will become your biggest asset." The three of them nodded their heads, determined to catch up to their new teammates.

Ash watched as his pokemon began to work on their assigned tasks, and he grinned when his eyes landed on Bulbasaur, Charmander and Squirtle.

Oh how much he loved irony.

* * *

 **And that's it for the fifth chapter of this fic. Pidgeotto evolved into Pidgeot, mastered Air Slash and Learned Mirror Move upon evolving. Ash caught Bulbasaur (He also got his first kiss! Yay!), Charmander (I admit that this was cute and 'awww' inducing) and Squirtle (I was chuckling the whole time as I wrote this part). You can already tell that Ash and his pokemon are going to be beasts when they fully develop and reach their peak but that won't happen for a long time.**

 **I will also put the special ability that Aura gives each of Ash's Pokemon once they learn how to manipulate it in its raw form.**

 **-Riolu (M): Quick Attack, Foresight, Counter, Force Palm, Blaze Kick, Aura Sphere, Low Sweep, Double Kick and Brick Break. Riolu can use Aura to enhance his movements and keep his techniques activated for longer periods of time.**

 **-Pikachu (M): Quick Attack, Agility, Double Team, Iron Tail, Thunderbolt, Thunder Wave and Electro Ball. Pikachu uses Aura to increase his storage of electricity at a steady pace that lets him always stay in control of his attacks.**

 **-Gyarados (F): Hyper Beam, Hydro Pump, Dragon Rage, Twister, Crunch, Flamethrower, Ice Beam and Thunderbolt. Gyarados can manipulate water using Aura and will eventually be able to fly due to her typing using it.**

 **-Scyther (M): Quick Attack, Agility, Double Team, Slash, Fury Cutter, Wing Attack, Pursuit, Aerial Ace, Steel Wing and Air Slash. Scyther can makes his attacks stronger than normal and enhance his body to move at unparalleled speeds on the ground.**

 **-Pidgeot (F): Quick Attack, Agility, Gust, Twister, Tailwind, Steel Wing, Aerial Ace, Air Slash and Mirror Move. Pidgeot's Aura lets her manipulate the air currents around her and she can use that to completely nullify wind resistance as she moves, making her Ash's fastest pokemon.**

 **-Nidorino: Horn Attack, Fury Attack, Double Kick, Poison Sting, Poison Jab, Toxic Spikes, Thunderbolt and Ice Beam. The still haven't found out what special ability Aura will give Nidorino, but Ash's suspects that it will be ground based and it will manifest fully once he evolves.**

 **-Bulbasaur (M):** **Leech Seed, Vine Whip, Sleep Power, Poison Powder, Razor Leaf, Ingrain, Giga Drain, Synthesis and Energy Ball. Bulbasaur can grow plants out of nothing as long as his vines are in direct contact with the ground. At the moment it isn't a very useful ability so they are hoping that with evolution it will grow to be something powerful**

 **-Charmander (M): Ember, Fire Spin, Smokescreen, Dragon Rage, Flamethrower and Dragon Claw. Using Aura as a medium, Charmander can mix draconian energy with his fire to make his attacks more powerful but they are waiting a bit to explore this ability.**

 **-Squirtle (M): Gun, Withdraw, Bubblebeam, Rapid Spin, Aqua Tail, Water Pulse and Ice Beam. Like Gyarados, Squirtle can also manipulate water with his Aura but he can also use it to pull water out of the environment.**

 **Okay so next chapter is going to include the gym battle in Vermillion, another evolutio, another member for Ash's team and the St. Anne stuff which is going to be way too different and it is what is going to make Ash famous along with making him known to Team Rocket as a threat.**

 **See ya next time!**


	6. Way Beyond Shocking

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon or the concept for Aura Bond. Pokemon belongs to Satoshi Tajiri and Aura Bond I believe was first used by dragonwolf12 on his story 'The Chosen One's Journey'. I only own the plot.**

* * *

Two weeks later and Ash was stepping into the crowded Pokemon Center of Vermillion City. He didn't really need to get a room since his mother had sent him a ticket to the St. Anne that would take him all the way to Lavender Town before it would sail towards Hoenn and his pokemon never needed to get checked up because he always made sure have them on a healthy diet and with his Heal Pulses they were always healthy. He did need to pick up some more TM that his mother had sent him for his teammates though.

Pidgeot had learned Hyper Beam and was working on upping the amount of power and the speed in which she could form it and she had made some progress in Hurricane with Aura. The technique was shaping up to be her strongest one but it would be a few more months before she could use it freely. Gyarados managed to put even more strength on her attacks and she could now stay a few minutes in the air but she couldn't rise up more than two meters. She knew how to do it but the amount of Aura she had wouldn't allow it so they were going to solely focus on increasing her reserves.

Riolu, Pikachu, Nidorino and Scyther had also managed to make their attacks stronger and had gotten so proficient in their fighting styles and had honed their instincts so much by battling that Ash had to rarely give any commands. Pikachu was also nearing the limit of electricity he could store within his pouch and Ash was considering getting a Thunder Stone so he could evolve the moment that happened. Ash decided that if Surge used his famous Raichu, it would be Pikachu who would face it because there was something he needed to prove. Everyone else agreed to this.

He was impressed by Bulbasaur, Charmander and Squirtle and their dedication to catch up to the rest. Bulbasaur had mastered Energy Ball in the span of two days and then had worked relentlessly to adapt it to his fighting style. They had also discovered that Bulbasaur could use the plants he could grow to sap away the energy of the foe by making them wrap around them. It was a very useful ability but Ash couldn't help but feel they could do much more but it won't happen until Bulbasaur evolved, which was pretty damn close if the size of the bulb behind his back was anything to go by.

Charmander just took the cream. The fire lizard worked the hardest out of everyone and he quickly rose in strength. They had managed to find ways to apply his moves to a fitting battle style for him and his reserves of power had gone enough that he was already practicing using Flamethrower and Dragon Claw. He had taught him Metal Claw however so he could have a strong attack in case they got in close with the enemy but that was just in case. Ash was so proud of him that he told him that he was going to battle on gym.

Squirtle also managed to develop a battle style that worked well with his abilities and he had managed to perfect both Water Pulse and Ice Beam and apply them to the way he fought, all of that, in just one week. Squirtle couldn't manipulate the amount of water Gyarados could but his ability to just draw water out of anything that had it was astounding and they were working on developing it further. Squirtle also found a way to create a shield of swirling water by accidentally falling on his back as he used water gun while standing in one leg and spinning on top of his shell. Pikachu and Pidgeot were trying to recreate it but using thunderbolt and air manipulation respectively. They had named the technique Counter Shield.

Ash raised an eyebrow when he saw a charred rattata being taken into an emergency room behind the counter of the Pokemon Center. Who would use a rattata on Lt. Surge anyways? He shrugged. That was not his problem. He walked towards the counter only to be greeted by a frantic and annoyed Nurse Joy.

"How may I help you, young man?" She asked politely, her professionalism not letting the annoyance on her pretty face reach her voice.

"There should be a package or an envelope from Delia Ketchum to Ash Ketchum here," he said as he looked around the center and saw many people giving Riolu interested look. It seemed that wasn't going to change any time soon.

Her eyes lit up and she looked at him up and down before a smile appeared on her face, some of her annoyance fading, as she handed him the envelope that contained the new TM he had gotten from his mother: Scald for Squirtle, Toxic for Bulbasaur and Hone Claws for Charmander and Scyther. They deserved new moves for all the hard work they had put into their training.

"This had been here for two days now and I thought that you would never come by to get them and I had actually forgotten about it," said Joy before she got the annoyed look on her face again. "Lt. Surge has gotten more vicious as of lately and the influx of trainers has been almost overwhelming." She looked at him curiously. "Are you going to challenge him?"

Ash nodded his head after he put away the TMs on their case so he could use them later." Yes. I will be going right now. My Pokemon are rested and they are itching for a fight. I spent almost a month preparing for him and I think that I'm ready to tackle anything that he might throw at me," said Ash with a determined smile on his face, which was complimented by Riolu's nod and Pikachu's sparking cheeks.

Joy sighed. "Well, I wish you luck then. Aren't you going to rent a room?"

Ash shook his head. "No, I won't. I got a ticket for the St. Anne and after my fight with Surge I'm going to go there and see what's up," said Ash before thanking her for the envelope and saying goodbye.

Ash stepped out of the Pokemon Center and walked towards where the Gym was, which was actually near the docks of the city. He could smell the salt in the air which was grown steadily more intense the nearer he got to the sea. He caught a glimpse of it and the massive ship that was the St. Anne before he found the Gym and he was… a bit impressed. It was gigantic warehouse with lightning bolts branching away from it. It certainly looked cool and it fit the Gym's typing.

Ash exchanged a look with Pikachu and Riolu before they pushed their doors open and walked the shot hallway that would lead him to the main arena. When he stepped inside, it was just in time to see a marowak smacking a Pikachu right in the face with its bone and sent it flying, unconscious before it hit the ground. He heard a girlish squeal and turned towards it and his eyes widened when he saw Leaf, his friend from Pallet Town, jumping in joy.

He watched as a massive man that was heavily tanned and had blond eyes that was twice her height and three times as wide walk up to her as she returned and congratulated her marowak. He handed her a badge, what looked like a TM and a piece of paper before he sent her off. He called for the next challenger and as Ash noticed he was the only one so he walked towards the arena.

He met Leaf halfway and her eyes lit up as she ran towards him an enveloped him in a hug. "Ash! It's so good to see you! How've you been?" She asked, only giving Pikachu and Riolu a cursory look.

He smiled at her. "I've been good. What about you? Did you decide to take on the Gym Circuit and participate on the Conference?"

She shook her head. "Nope. Lt. Surge has to give anyone that beats him a ticket for the St. Anne and I had a ground type. It was an opportunity I couldn't let pass." She then gave him a grin. "You better beat him so you get a ticket too. That way we could catch up properly," she said with a giggle before she ran away before Ash could tell her that he already had a ticket.

He shrugged before he stepped to the trainer box and patiently waited for Surge to address him. It didn't take too long. "How many badges do you have and what's your name, kid?" He asked in a booming voice.

He shrugged and raised two fingers. "Ash Ketchum."

Surge nodded. "Right. We are going to have three one-on-one battles. If you want a badge you most win them all," he said before nodding to the referee who raised his flags to indicate the start of the battle.

Surge released a magneton, the three magnemite that composed it making a whirring sound as they tried to separate before being pulled into the each other by an electrical current. Ash regarded him for a second before he released Charmander, who roared and glared at his opponent. Since magneton was a part steel type, Charmander was going to have a huge advantage.

"Electro ball!" Lt. Surge barked as he crossed his arms over his massive chest. Magneton whirred before it pointed three of its six magnets at charmander and formed a black sphere with yellow lighting that it launched at Charmander.

"Fireball. Follow with fire spin," said Ash calmly. Charmander opened his maw and let loose a ball made of fire that was just slightly bigger than the electro ball. This was actually an ember attack focused solely in one blast, instead of many. The two attacks collided in the middle of the field with an explosion, black smoke forming stray arcs of electricity branching into the ground and dissolving.

Charmander then opened his mouth again and spew a swirling vortex of fire that had the same diameter as his fireball. They had worked a lot on Charmander's accuracy with his attacks so it was shot directly at magnemite at decent speeds.

Lt. Surge frowned. "Up. Then shock wave," he said simply. Magneton levitated away from the attack before its body began to cackle with electricity before it cocked its magnets and firing a simple blast of electricity.

Ash watched confusedly as it was shot high above charmander and it looked like it was about to pass overhear but his eyes widened when it suddenly changed directions sharply and went down towards Charmander. He quickly recalled one of the spars that Charmander had with Pikachu and how he had countered one of his electrics attacks by accident.

"Metal claw into the ground!" He shouted and he was relieved to see that charmander had already formed the steel type attack. He shoved his glowing and slightly longer claws into the ground and grunted in slight pain as he felt the electricity running through him and into the ground but it didn't do much damage. When the attack ended, Charmander was smirking at Surge.

The blond mountain of a man looked slightly impressed and there was the hint of a grin on his face. "Not bad kid. Not bad at all. Magneton! Sonic boom!" He shouted and it seemed that he was starting to enjoy the fight. His magneton whirred again before it fired a blast of misplaced air with the sound of a small explosion coming off.

"Dodge. Then smokescreen," said Ash crossing his arms over his chest. Charmander managed to jump forward and dodge the attack but he was pushed a bit further since he couldn't avoid the resulting explosion and got a little singed. He glared a Magneton before he opened his mouth and began to release black smoke that covered the entire battlefield and prevented Surge and Magneton from seeing it.

"Shock wave to find it and finish it up with thunderbolt," said Surge with a grin on his face. Magneton did that weird whirring noise again before it fired the blast of energy on a ramdon direction. Ash recalled how it had arched directly towards Charmander even if it was heading on completely different direction so that mean that attack could track the minimal amount of electricity inside of every living being. Luckily it was easy to counter.

"Dig, then fire spin," said Ash as he watched the blast of electricity arch towards where Charmander was hiding the smokescreen. He grinned when disappeared into the smoke screen and there wasn't a shout of pain. Charmander had picked up dig because how much he spared with Nidorino and it had certainly come in handy on this fight.

Magneton fired off a thunderbolt at the place its shock wave had landed earlier but it got confused when it hit nothing again. Suddenly, it was consumed by a rising and spinning column of fire that made it screech in pain, causing Ash to cover his ears because it gave him a headache. The fire spin ended after a few seconds and before Lt. Surge or magneton could react, it was hit by a big fireball making it another sharp screech of pain before the three magnemite that composed it began to fall to the ground unconscious.

Surge returned it before it fell to the ground and he grinned at Charmander and Ash. The smoke had cleared already and he could see the two holes that made him realize that Charmander had used dig to escape from shock wave's tracking characteristic. "That was some good thinking you did there, kid," said Surge with a grin that widened as he brandished another pokeball. "Let's see if it helps with the next pokemon!"

Ash returned Charmander and congratulated him earnestly, smiling when the pokeball got warm. He turned towards the battlefield to see Surge releasing a very strong looking Electabuzz that began to twists its arms to generate electricity. Ash scrunched up his nose as he smelt burnt ozone in the air as he regarded the electric type before he released Bulbasaur, who got ready after seeing his opponent.

"Thunderbolt!" Lt. Surge almost roared his command as he pointed at Bulbasaur gleefully. Electabuzz's eyes shone with the same glee as it roared and fire a wide arch of electricity from its antennae towards Bulbasaur. Ash blinked and he noticed that it was just a tad weaker than Pikachu's own which was damn impressive if he said so himself.

He didn't have to tell Bulbasaur to dodge as his grass type quickly jumped far away from both the attack and the resulting blast. Bulbasaur opened his mouth and formed a green ball with a yellow core and shot it directly at Electabuzz. Bulbasaur and Squirtle also practiced their accuracy a lot.

"Light screen!" Surge shouted and Electabuzz joined its big hands in front of it and a shimmering, transparent wall appeared in front of him that blocked the attack successfully, making it explode in a green flash but the light screen absorbed the residual energy from the attack.

"Ingrain and vine whip," said Ash with a smirk on his face as he was also starting to enjoy himself. Bulbasaur shot two vines into the ground, anchoring himself to it before two other vines emerged from beneath his bulb and they were launched towards Electabuzz.

Surge's grin turned completely savage. "Catch those vines and thunderbolt!"

Ash's and Bulbasaur's eyes widened as Electabuzz bared its fangs and snatched the vines out of the air before they could hit. It roared before it began to use thunderbolt, directing to its arms and it used the connection reach Bulbasaur and the seed pokemon began to grit its teeth in pain as it was being shocked by the slightly diluted electric attack.

"Absorb its energy. Don't let it knock you out!" Ash shouted frantically. Bulbasaur nodded his head shakily and with a grunt before he began to glow green and his eyes did the same. He watched as Electabuzz also began to glow green and a few small branches spurted out of the ground beneath it that began to help with the sapping of energy.

Surge frowned when he saw the electric attack get weaker. He was curious about the branches that grew from the ground and wrapped around Electabuzz's feet but he didn't pay too much mind to it. "Amp the power! Thunder!" He snarled with a gleeful grin on his face that was matched by his electric Pokemon.

Ash's eyes widened when Electabuzz exploded with electrical power and it was shot directly at Bulbasaur, who began to scream in pain, and the green glow of his Giga Drain disappeared and the branches he had made grow with his Aura began to disappear. Ash was about to recall him to prevent him from suffering more but his eyes widened when Bulbasaur' eyes began to glow green and his body was enveloped in a white light.

Surge's eyes were also wide as he saw the bulbasaur he was fighting turning into an ivysaur before his eyes just when he was about knock it out. It roared and glared at him and his pokemon with glowing green eyes after the energy of evolution cancelled Electabuzz's thunder. All eyes widened when thick branches exploded from the ground and wrapped around of Electabuzz.

Surge couldn't utter a word due to his shock as he saw Electabuzz getting all of his energy taken away from him in less than ten seconds. He recalled his pokemon with a dumfounded expression on his face as he watched the Ivysaur walk towards his trainer. "What the hell was that?!' He asked frantically.

Ash grinned as he knelt down and began to rub Ivysaur's head. "I don't know really but I have an idea. I'm just thankful that Ivysaur managed to pull through and win," he said softly but loud enough to be heard. He sent a Heal Pulse just to be sure that there was nothing wrong with Ivysaur before recalling him.

" _No problem, Ash. That little pain was what I needed to finally evolve. I'll explain what was what I did to finish that Electabuzz of later after you finish here,"_ said Ivysaur, in a slightly deeper but still smooth voice through the bond and Ash nodded as he stood up to face Surge.

Surge blinked in shock but he shook his head in disbelief. "Kids this day…" He muttered to himself before looking at Ash in the eye. "You have proven to me that you can think strategically to wing against a foe much more powerful and experienced and that the bond with your pokemon is strong enough to give them the push to evolve when is most needed…" Surge trailed off as he grinned and brought up his final pokeball. "Now you most show me how much raw power they wield! Raichu!"

Ash hid a smirk as he saw Surge's massive Raichu appearing in a flash of white energy. It grinned at them and sparked its cheek cockily as it called its name in a mocking fashion and made a 'come hitter' motion with its paw. Ash just nodded at Pikachu who couldn't hide his smirk as he jumped from Ash's shoulder and landed on all fours in front of Ash, sparking his cheeks in challenge.

Surge frowned when he saw this but he wouldn't underestimate this kid anymore and that Pikachu certainly looked strong, the strength and brightness of its sparks gave it away. He wasn't going to pull his punches. "Thunderbolt! Full power and keep it going!"

Raichu exploded with electrical power and in just a second unleashed a thunderbolt many times more powerful than Pikachu's own, but Ash wasn't concerned as he just kept the smirk on his face. The attack was power and it was formed quickly but at the speed it was headed towards its target made it painfully obvious that Surge and Raichu only worked on the power of their attacks and how fast Raichu could build up that power and nothing else. And Ash could certainly work around that.

He didn't have to utter a word as Pikachu cloaked himself with the enhancement of quick attack and agility to ump to the side fast and far enough that he didn't even feel the resulting blast of Raichu's thunderbolt striking the ground. He was surprised however, when Raichu kept the attack going and directed towards Pikachu's position. It seemed like they also worked on their control too but it still wasn't fast enough to hit Pikachu.

"Get close and Iron Tail," said Ash after watching Pikachu jumping away from being hit by the thunderbolt, said attack carving a deep trench into the ground. Pikachu's ears twitched at the order and he nodded before the thunderbolt was upon him. Instead of jumping to either side, he jumped forward and began to run towards Raichu at speeds that were just below Scyther's own on the ground.

"Don't let get near! Shock wave!" Surge barked and Raichu nodded, an annoyed expression on its face as it stopped feeding its continuous thunderbolt further. Its cheeks sparked before launching a blast of electricity that was bigger and brighter than the one used by Magneton. It was directed towards Pikachu with pin point accuracy but Ash and Pikachu just grinned.

"Take it! Don't stop!"

"What?!"

The eyes of Surge and Raichu widened when Pikachu absorbed the electric attack and shrugged it off as if it were nothing. Ash's second Pokemon then gave Raichu a gleeful look when he got in its face and twisted his body so he could smack his evolved form in the side of its body, sending it to the ground with a pained grunt.

Realization dawned on Surge's eyes as he saw Raichu standing up with a grunt of exertion. "Lightning rod…" He muttered before his expression matched that of Raichu's with a guttural snarl. "Mega punch and Mega kick! Overpower it!"

Raichu nodded its head before one of its paws began to glow with power before he moved to punch Pikachu in the face. The yellow rodent smirked at Raichu's slow form. It seemed like it had evolved before it reached its peak in speed as a Pikachu but he should've known earlier since Raichu was just as bulky as their species were known to be. Thankfully, Ash wasn't making the same mistake.

Pikachu ducked under the blow easily enough and he charged another Iron Tail. He jumped over a mega kick directed at his mid section with a front flip and used the momentum generated by that maneuver to strike Raichu over the head and send it tumbling to the ground face first.

Raichu growled in anger as its face got red because of it. It jumped to its feet and its cheeks began to spark as it built up a massive amount of electrical energy. Surge's eyes widened when he saw this and he recognized what was about to happen. "Don't do it!" He shouted but it was too late. In Raichu's anger due being out played and getting hit twice after a long time, and by a Pikachu no less, he forgot the fact that Pikachu had lightning rod as his ability… and released a Discharge attack.

The attack spread out in a expanding dome fashion with electricity jumping from the edges and running through it as it grew and Ash saw many ways he could apply that in tandem with Pikachu's speed, so he decided right there that Discharge was going to be the next technique Pikachu learned. Said yellow rodent just smirked and he let the dome reach it him and he began to absorb all the electricity the Raichu generated to perform the attack. It arched towards him and he grunted as he felt his own pool of electricity straining to accommodate the new amount.

He grinned at Raichu, who had taken a step back with its face showing some fear, and used his paw to make a cleaning motion over his mouth. " _Thanks for the meal,"_ he said before his eyes lit up and he grinned in a feral manner as he looked back at Ash, who cocked an eyebrow at him. _"Check this out every one!"_ He declared before jumping back and put some distance between him and the still shocked Raichu.

Pikachu then began to run towards Raichu without the use of quick attack and agility to boost his speed, grin still in place. Eyes widened when electricity sparked around Pikachu for a second before he was enveloped in a glowing yellow aura of electricity that had Raichu taking a few more steps back in fear. Surge also had wide eyes as he saw the famed attack being used against his Raichu and he knew that it will spell problem for him if it hit.

"Jump out of the way!" Surge shouted frantically.

Pikachu's grin just widened. " _No, you won't! Eat thunder, bitch!"_ Pikachu shouted before he crashed into Raichu, an explosion that obscured the collision site resulting from the collision.

A few seconds later and the smoke thinned out to show a panting Pikachu, arcs of electricity running across his body as he stared down at the thoroughly scorched Raichu, who sported many scuff marks and burns all over its body as he laid face up with swirl in its eyes. Pikachu then looked from Raichu to the shocked Surge, gave a mock salute before he ran back to Ash.

The black haired trainer had a grin on his face as he looked at Pikachu. "It seems that absorbing that last attack was enough to give you the push you needed to fill your reserves and unlock Volt Tackle."

Pikachu nodded his head proudly. " _That's about right."_

Ash's grin widened. "It also seems that you used an untested and unpracticed move on an official and important battle." Pikachu paled when he realized that he indeed did that. "As a punishment for that, you won't evolve until you have perfect control of your attacks and master Volt Tackle, Thunder and Discharge. Understood?" He asked sweetly with grin still in place.

Pikachu nodded his head frantically and Ash expression went back to being happy at winning. Pikachu sighed as he ignored the laughing of his teammates. Ash could be very scary sometimes.

Ash noticed that Surge had recalled his fallen Pokemon and was standing in front of him with his hand extended as he held a few objects in it. "You proved your worth as a trainer that uses both strategic thinking and raw power along with having a strong bond with your Pokemon. You deserved the Thunder Badge, the TM Shock Wave and a ticket for the St. Anne…" Surge trailed off as he looked at Pikachu, who was perched innocently on Ash's shoulder before he reached into his pocket and gave Ash a thunder stone. "That pikachu of yours is going to be a beast if it evolves." He grinned in a savage manner. "Please come back here once you toughened up. I won't hold back again," said Surge with a booming laugh.

Ash nodded his head with a small smile on his face as he pocketed everything that was handed to him. "Thanks for the battle Lt. Surge. I promise to come back here again once I gathered all the badges for the Conference. I will be good training for it after all," said Ash with a nod that was returned by Surge before he was dismissed.

As Ash walked towards the exit of the Gym with Riolu in tow, he glanced at Pikachu. "Add shock wave to the list of moves you must learn before evolution."

Pikachu's ears dropped. Everyone else just laughed harder.

 **-AM: KOI-**

The St. Anne was certainly a wonder of naval architecture. The ship was massive, extending for a good hundred and sixty meters and rising twenty meters and it occupied the entire section of the dock that Ash thought it was built just for when this ship stayed in Vermillion City. Ash could see many people going into the ship or standing on the dock just admiring it. He himself felt a little intimidated by it.

He shook his head before he walked towards the entrance of the ship and handed him the ticket. After he confirmed its authenticity the man told him the number of his room and how to reach it and about a tournament with an extremely rare Pokemon as the prize for the winner. Ash wasn't surprised that it was a suite, since his mother always made sure that he was as comfortable as he could be but it had him sigh in a little of fond annoyance. That was just like her. And he was going to participate in that little tournament, no questions asked.

As Ash made his way to his room, he inspected the ship with wide eyes. The pools were big enough to house small and medium sized pokemon without much and on the main dock and there were a few fields in which they were having Pokemon battles. Ash managed to spot several rare pokemon from faraway regions as he walked pass the arena and he was going to make sure to get a fight out of them.

Ash walked the stairs leading up to the highest floor of the ship and walked the long and lone hallway. He noticed that there were only thirteen rooms here and the one that belonged to him was the final one at the very end. He shook his head before making his way over there and used the key that he had been given when he entered to open it. When he stepped inside his room, he was understandably shocked.

The room was even bigger than a Pokemon Center's lobby, which was supposed to house dozens of trainers and the pokemon they could keep out of their pokeballs. He spotted a king sized bed at the end of the room. The room was furnished with many couches, chairs and tables in a very organized manner. He even saw a metal perch in which Pidgeot could roost and an Aquarium.

Ash shook his head before looking at Pikachu and Riolu, smirking at their shocked expressions. "That's my mother for you. Always going beyond and beyond," said Ash before he moved towards the bed and leaving his back pack there. Pikachu and Riolu, as always, jumped on it and began to wrestle.

Ash just deadpanned at them before he released al his pokemon except Gyarados. " _I'm going to release you in the ocean so you can do whatever you want, but make sure that you always stay close to the ship,"_ aid Ash through the bond and he smiled when he felt an excited mental nudge.

He turned towards his pokemon and smiled when he saw that Squirtle was already swimming in the massive aquarium, enjoying himself immensely if the grin on his face was anything to go by. Scyther, Nidorino and Charmander had taken comfortable positions in the floor against the wall and were basking in the comfortable feeling that the room gave off. Pidgeot was calmly inspecting the room as she stood perched on the metal pole that was slightly bending under her weight (That was a thought that he kept to himself).

Ash looked down when he felt a nudge on his feet and he smiled at Ivysaur. "What's up?"

Ivysaur sat on his haunches and he peered up at Ash with a serious expression on his face. " _I need to tell you about the nature of the powers that manifest when I use my Aura,"_ he said before taking a deep breath when Ash nodded his head. _"It isn't that hard to grasp. When I use Ingrain, I can also direct my natural energy mixed with Aura to make plants grow from basically nothing, only using the soil as some kind of medium. The plants that I grow are an extension of me and I can do with them whatever there is that I need to do. I believe that it is best if we focus on mastering this ability since it will get much, much stronger when I become a Venasaur."_

Ash took in the new information and he nodded his head in agreement. "Alright. The only new moves that I was hoping to teach you are Toxic and Solar Beam and I'm sure you can handle those three things with no issue," said Ash as he reached down and rubbed Ivysaur on his forehead.

Ash then stood up and addressed all his Pokemon. "Alright everyone I'm going to inscribe and participate on the tournament. Who wants a crack at it?" He wasn't surprised when Scyther, Riolu, Nidorino and Squirtle were the ones that wanted to participate with him. They were probably excited and itching to fight after they beheld his battle with Surge. Ash nodded and recalled them all sans Riolu who jumped off the bed to land at his side. "Are you guys going to stay in here?"

Pikachu, Charmander and Ivysaur nodded since they were still a little fatigued from the fight they just had so they were going to try and relax. Pidgeot shook her head. " _I would like a chance to spread my beautiful wings and fly a little,"_ she said with some distaste, feeling that this room was only good for sleeping since it was visibly appealing enough.

Ash laughed before recalling her. He turned towards Ivysaur. "Make sure that Pikachu's behaves and doesn't destroy anything," said Ash with before directing a glance at Pikachu who just glared at him lazily.

Pikachu waved him with his tail. " _Give me a break. I'm too comfortable right now to do some mischief. Chill out and go win that tournament."_

Ash sighed before he relented when Ivysaur nodded at him. Pikachu could be a handful sometimes.

 **-AM: KOI-**

 _St. Anne Tournament-First Round_

After Ash released Gyarados on the sea, the ship had already sailed, and Pidgeot so she could fly above them and stretch her wings, he made his way to the battlefields that were on the dock of the St. Anne so he could sing up for the tournament. Only thirty two people were allowed to enter and Ash was lucky enough to sing up. The tournament was fairly standard: one on one fights and you had to win to advance. The last battle was going to be a double battle which interested Ash very much.

He stood now on one of the battlefields facing his first opponent, an older looking men wearing a stylish suit. He noticed that there was small crowd around them, and as always, they were looking at Riolu with interest. He shrugged them off with some difficulty. He could use to start getting use to the humongous crowd that the Indigo Conference was surely going to attract.

"We are going to continue with the first round battles of the St. Anne Tournament. This battle is between Ash Ketchum from Kanto and Sir Jonah James from Hoenn. Release your pokemon!" Declared the referee as he raised both flags to indicate the start of the battle.

Ash quickly released Nidorino, who roared the moment he was fully materialized, and he raised an eyebrow when he saw his opponent's choice. He recognized the white furred Pokemon as a vigoroth and it didn't exactly look weak if the glare on its face and muscles were anything to go by. Ash's eyes narrowed as he realized that he and Nidorino will have to use every trick in their arsenal if they wanted to win.

He smirked. He wasn't planning on holding back anyways. "Toxic spikes. Lure it," said Ash. His eyes flashing with mirth and his expression was disturbingly matched by Nidorino as he formed a purple sphere of venomous energy in front of his mouth that he shot into the sky which split into many more that fell into the battlefield, rendering the field a poisoned land.

Jonah scowled in an ugly fashion as he saw this. He knew that he was at a serious disadvantage and his vigoroth didn't know long range moves so he hoped that his pokemon would stay strong for a long enough time to beat his opponent. "Focus up! Get in close and slash!"

Ash smirked as the vigoroth roared and began to shine with the power of focus energy and bulk up before its wicked claws extended as they glowed white power before it leaped towards Nidorino with great speeds. He had forced this situation just by opening with Toxic Spikes, which was certainly one of his favorite moves, and his opponent had played directly into his plans. They, however, needed to not make it so painfully obvious that he wanted vigoroth to actually get in close.

"Ice beam!"

Nidorino locked eyes with the airborne vigoroth before he opened his maw and a blue sphere formed in an instant. It suddenly branched into three arcs of white blue icy energy that zeroed on Vigoroth who could only widen its eyes at the incoming attack. It tried to twist its way out of the ice beam but only succeeded on evading two of the three arcs of energy and it was hit in the shoulder and its momentum was halted.

Ash smirked and Jonah growled when Vigoroth fell to the ground and immediately its body glowed purple as it was infected by the Toxic Spikes. Their strategy was to lure an enemy into getting in close by the use of Toxic Spikes and Ice Beam or Thunderbolt to make them think that getting in close was their best shot, which was quite the contrary. It worked best when the venomous spikes poisoned their enemy. It was a sound strategy that he hoped to one day perfect to make it infallible.

Jonah scowled before he pointed at Nidorino. "Push through! Endure it and hammer arm!"

Vigoroth's chest expanded as it roared to the heavens before charging at Nidorino with a glowing white arm. Ash's eyes widened when it jumped over Nidorino's retaliatory Thunderbolt before he smacked Nidorino away with the powerful attack. The purple, stocky pokemon of Ash grunted in pain as it was sent skidding towards the edge of the battlefield but he managed to stop short of going out by digging his claws into the soil to stop his momentum. He glared and growled at the smirking Vigoroth.

Ash calmed down slightly when he saw Vigoroth taking a knee after his body what rocked by the venom of Toxic Spikes once again. They needed to press their advantage down if they wanted to win because he was sure his opponent's pokemon was tough enough to keep fighting, ignoring the effects of the poison going through its veins. "Dig!" He hoped that Nidorino knew what he wanted him to do.

Nidorino nodded his head before he gave a little jump and disappeared into the ground, making a hole on the soil and kicking up some dust. Jonah saw this and he smirked in triumph. "Nice battle kid, but it is our win. Earthquake!" He shouted grandly with a grin on his face.

Said grin was matched by his pokemon as the Vigoroth raised its arms and it was about to bring them down to use the commanded attack before it flinched for a second due to the venom. And that cost him dearly because Nidorino burst out of the ground, horn glowing white and not a second later he rammed it into Vigoroth's stomach and injected even more venom into its system.

Ash had a smirk on his face as he saw this and he chuckled at his opponent's bewildered look. It seemed like Nidorino's exceptional skill underground was a good way to catch foes off guard. He was going to make sure to capitalize on that fact in oncoming battles. "Finish it," he said simply with a placid smile on his face.

Jonah only had time for his eyes to widen before Vigoroth attempted to use another hammer arm on Nidorino, but the white furred pokemon was prevented from doing that as it flinched again for being so badly poisoned, giving Nidorino enough time to remove his horn from within Vigoroth with a nasty wet sound, some blood spilling out, before he jumped back and electrocuted Vigoroth with a well placed Thunderbolt.

It only took ten seconds to knock the Hoenn native pokemon out and it was dully recalled as the referee proclaimed Ash the winner, who congratulated Nidorino, getting a grunt and a 'smirking return before he too was recalled. Ash dipped his hat at Jonah who sighed before he nodded respectfully with a smile at Ash. Ash returned the smile and he moved towards the edge of the battlefield, were he was congratulated by other people as he decided to scout out the possible competition. That never hurt to do.

 _St. Anne Tournament- Third Round_

Ash looked at his opponent, a pretty girl a few years older than him that was giving him a strange look. He shook how uncomfortable that made him feel and he instead thought back on how he was doing so far. He dominated the fight with Riolu against a man's Bibarel and he was now on the third round. He only needed to win three more times (This one, then the semifinals and finally at the finals) so he could get that rare pokemon from another region for his team.

The black haired girl that was his opponent grinned sexily at him and winked. "It doesn't matter how cute you are. I'm going to win this tournament and get that rare Pokemon," she claimed as she brandished her pokeball.

Ash blushed at what she said before he shook her head and returned the smirk with one of her own as he too raised his pokeball. "Let's see about that," he said simply.

When the referee declared the start of the fight, both trainers released their Pokemon and Squirtle, wearing his sun glasses, materialized in front of him. The girl he was going to fight released a massive Houndoom that barked and snarled, flames dancing out of its mouth as it loved angry eyes with Squirtle, who only crossed his arms and gave his opponent a bored, and bizarrely enough, and excited look at the same time.

" _Hmmm…_ " He muttered as he sized up his opponent. " _I guess I will have to use my awesome, super skills to get this done like the badass I am,_ " he said with a smirk as he got into a ready stance, making the ones he shared a bond with groan except for his squad, who began to cheer on him.

Ash rubbed his forehead with the palm of his hand. "Just make sure you win. Feel free to fight as you please," he said with a wary chuckle. He had given up on trying to fit a style of battling into Squirtle since he was already set on one that actually fit him so he only focused on teaching him new techniques and suggesting ideas on how he could implement them. When Squirtle battled, it was all up to him, which was better… from a certain point of view.

His opponent gave the first order. "Use Sunny Day and then Dark Pulse. And don't stop moving!" She shouted grandly making a wide motion with her arm. Ash blushed as this made her assets do something that he found visually appealing before he shook his head again. What was happening to him nowadays? Ugh. If he could just go to make out with Melanie…

He shook his head again. 'Focus,' he told himself and dutifully ignored the snickering of his friends through the bond.

Houndoom barked before a bright, red ball shot up towards the sky and suddenly, the glare of the sun intensified. Ash frowned at this since it would make water attacks a little weaker but he realized that it was Squirtle that was fighting so he decided that it was wiser not to worry about that. Houndoom then charged a ball of dark, arching energy that he sent towards Squirtle in a tunnel like beam of dark energy.

Squirtle rolled his eyes and scoffed. " _Che._ " He stepped back with one of his legs before he leaned into it and to the side, the dark pulse attack passing harmlessly by him. Squirtle adjusted his glasses slightly before he cracked his neck. " _My turn._ " And he was running towards his opponents at speed that were surprising for his species.

Both Houndoom and its trainer blinked as Squirtle reached the dark dog and punched him with a stubby fist surrounded by swirling water that came out of his mouth. The fire and dark dog yelped in pain as it was sent tumbling to the side with a stinging nuzzle and it shot to its leg and fired a nasty looking Flamethrower at Squirtle, whose glasses were glinting due to the harsh glare of the sun.

Squirtle scoffed again before he reared his head back and fired a powerful water gun that crashed into the stream of fire. The two attacks were evenly matched due to Houndoom being at its peak and Squirtle's attack having an elemental advantage. The collision of the two techniques generated a cloud of mist that obscured the battlefield slightly.

But this wasn't a problem for Houndoom and its trainer smirked. "Use your nose to find that Squirtle and then Beat Up!"

Ash watched interestedly at the next turn of events. He could see what was going on because apparently, his Aura had augmented his eyesight beyond that of a normal human and it was a recent development since he started to train on Aura manipulation. He didn't know how the two things related but he wasn't one for overcomplicated theory so he just accepted it and moved on. Besides, he wouldn't question anything that gave him and advantage.

Houndoom sniffed the air before snarling with a grin as it roared and dark energy surrounded him for a moment. Ash's eyes widened as the energy turned into three copies of Houndoom that soon transformed into an Ampharos, a Heracross and a Quagsire. They all glared at where Squirtle was supposed to be before they charged into the mist.

No sooner than they did that Ash smirked and the copies of Houndoom that transformed into three apparently random Pokemon appeared once again, this time they were hurled back out of the mist, which began to thin out. Ash's opponent's eyes widened. "What?" They asked as they saw their technique dispelling in tendrils of black energy that dissolved into the mist.

When the mist cleared out, they saw Squirtle's shell spinning in place, undersize up as five columns of water spun in tandem with the spinning shell. It was a very cool and magnificent sight and the crowd 'awed' at the display. Squirtle soon ended the technique and he spun into a kneeling position with one of his arm on his propped knee and he glared at the perturbed Houndoom with glinting sunglasses.

The girls that Ash was facing rubbed her eyes and sighed before pointing at Squirtle with dull eyes. "Solarbeam. Let's end this quick," she said in a matching tone of voice.

Houndoom complied and fired an instant beam of yellow and green energies. Normally, the beam would take more time to charge up and fire, even more if it was used by a fire type, but thanks to the Sunny Day used at the very beginning of the fight, it was instantly prepared and fired at the still kneeling Squirtle.

Seeing the incoming beam, Squirtle snorted for the third time that day and pushed himself into the air by using water gun on the ground beneath him and he evaded the attack by a wide margin. He then cupped his hands in front of him and formed a swirling sphere of water and energy that he let grew until it was about the size of his body before he reared his stubby arms back and hurled it at the ground.

Houndoom and its trainer only had time to blink in bewilderment before the Water Pulse hit the ground in front of Houndoom and exploded in a swirling vortex of water that consumed the battlefield and absorbed Houndoom into it. The dark dog yipped as it was stroke by gallons of swirling water as it was buffeted across the battlefield at speeds that were more than just disorientating.

When the attack finished Houndoom ended at the other side of the battlefield and the soil of said battlefield was soaked and it looked more like mud. The fire type tried to stand up but it was having difficulties because it was affected by the Water Pulse. It just managed to get on its four feet before, suddenly, Squirtle appeared beneath him and Houndoom only had time to widen its confused eyes before it was sent flying, stroke by a fluffy tail surrounded by swirling water.

Squirtle turned his back towards his opponent landed in a heap and he adjusted his sunglasses, which glinted in the sound, as the bewildered referee declared him the winner. He nodded his head and crossed his arms. " _Yes. I Am Awesome._ "

Ash blushed red as he returned his pokemon after hastily congratulating him. He nodded at his opponent before he walked briskly towards were the crowd was gathered to watched the fights. He ignored the strange looks being sent his way and the snickering and groans from the bond.

It was the correct thing to do to keep his sanity intact.

 _St. Anne Tournament-Final Round_

Ash had an excited smirk on his face as he faced his final opponent on the tournament. After Squirtle's battle he had used Nidorino once again and he managed to score a relatively easy win against a Cacturne (it basically developed like the fight with Vigoroth, only that Cacturne was a little faster but didn't hit as hard) and he now fund himself in the final. His opponent was a man from Unova that had been dominating the fights, just like him, so he wasn't going to try his luck this time.

The referee raised his flags. "This is the Final Round for the St. Anne Tournament between Ash Ketchum from Kanto and Morgan Frisk from Unova! This will be a standard Double battle and the first team to knock out both opponents out will be the winner! Release your pokemon and begin!"

Riolu jumped from his side to stand in front of him and he released Scyther from his pokeball, the green mantis materializing next to Riolu and hissing as he barred his teeth and weapons. The eyes of the off the jackal and the mantis narrowed when their opponents were revealed. A black and white zebra that had arcs of electricity going around its mane and a tan and blue colored monkey that was looking at them with a placid eye smile.

Riolu glanced at Scyther as he took his stance. " _So how do you want to handle this? We pretty much have Ash's permission to make our own calls,_ " he commented idly as he boosted his body with bulk up, used Foresight to augment his reaction time and enhanced his limbs with the fighting techniques of Brick Break and Double Kick. Thanks to his Aura, he could keep them up for a long time before he felt the strain and had to ease up.

Scyther shrugged before his body began to glow with the power of Agility and Quick Attack and his wings began buzz before he was hovering in the air. " _You are better than me up close so I guess we should handle the Zebstrika and then the Simipour… wait… Simipour first… for convenience sake,_ " he added with a grimace as he began to float higher.

Riolu nodded his head and he crouched low. " _Got it._ "

Morgan pointed at his two foes and glared with his own excited smirk on. "Zebstrika, handle the bug! Simipour, take care of that Riolu!" He shouted, almost barked, and his two Pokemon nodded their heads.

Zebstrika's form clacked with lightning before it fired off an arching blast of electricity at Scyther who looked impressed with it and that was a hard thing to do since he trained with Pikachu on a daily basis. He blurred out of the way and retaliated by swinging glowing scythes, releasing twin blades of winds that were headed towards his two opponents, forcing them to jump and get separated from the other.

Simipour charged a Water Pulse between its hands and fired it at Riolu but the blue and black jackal merely jumped towards it, spun around his body and kicked it away from the arena and into the ocean before he continued his charge, Simipour blinked before it fired a water gun at Riolu that forced the little fighting type to jump and loose some momentum but to the shock of everyone, except Ash and his pokemon, he landed on the water gun and continued his path towards Simipour, who could only stare before it was kicked in the head by a flaming, glowing kick and sent flying backwards.

Scyther growled as he evaded the attacks from Zebstrika with relative ease. He trained with Pikachu everyday with stronger and faster electrical attacks but that didn't mean that he wanted to get hit because while he could endure it better than must, they still hurt like a fucking hell and there was no way he was going to let himself be hit if he could prevent it. He corkscrewed away from another blast of electricity before he disappeared in a dark warping of energy, surprising Zebstrika enough that he stopped spamming thunderbolts.

The green Mantis appeared behind Zebstrika and rammed into it cloaked in darkness and white energy as his enhanced Quick Attack and Agility was further enhanced by Pursuit and Aerial Ace. He smirked when Zebstrika grunted in pain before it turned away and blasted another crack of lightning, which he dodged and retaliated with another Air Slash, aiming it at its feet and forcing it to jump back and away from that side of the battlefield. He needed to keep it occupied for few more seconds before they could enact their plan.

Simipour was no longer smiling placidly; in fact, it had a nasty scowl on its face and a nastier looking bruise on its cheek on where Riolu had hit it. Speaking of the jackal like Pokemon, he was again charging at Simipour with glowing limbs and cloaked in white light. Morgan matched the scowl on Simipour with one of his own. "Scald!"

Simipour nodded its head before opening its mouth wide and firing a stream of super hot water that actually made the air around it shimmer with how hot it was. Riolu faltered for a second before got his bearing just in time to throw himself into a slide under the attack. He grimaced as the heat of the Scald got to him but he managed to reach under Simipour and the monkey only had time to stop the steam of super hot water before it was sent flying straight up with a dry of pain by a rising kick from Riolu.

Riolu went into all fours so he could push himself upwards and towards the rising Simipour with as much force as he could. He suddenly disappeared from the ground and a second later he appeared behind the still rising Simipour and performed a spinning roundhouse kick that sent it in a downward angle towards the middle of the battle field with another cry of pain. " _Scyther!"_

Scyther heard the call from his teammate and he dodged Zebstrika's thunderbolt in a way that that let him just slip away from Simipour's flying path and he was now flying behind the flying water monkey. It was revealed what the plan was when Zebstrika fired off another electrical attack but instead of hitting Scyther, it hit its teammate o cried in pain before it was knocked out due receiving too much punishment in a short amount of time.

Morgan glared furiously straight ahead as he recalled his fallen monkey. "Stop this nonsense! Zebstrika! Disharge!"

The black and white electrical zebra nodded its head before charging up and releasing all that pent up electrical energy. The dome of electricity expanded, releasing arcs of lightning that arched across the dome, looking for targets to electrify and scorch. Scyther tried his hardest to evade them all and he partially succeed but they were too much and he got hit on the wings, rendering them incapable of keeping him flying so he let gravity pull him down as he rolled out of the way of another arc of lightning.

Riolu, incredibly, was having better luck at evading the electrical attack but that was mostly due to his smaller body and the continuous use of Foresight. When he got prudently close, he charged an Aura Sphere between his paws and let it fly across the field towards his opponent. It seemed like Zebstrika noticed this since it opened its maw and fired off a blast of electricity that meat his Aura Sphere half way there and very near of where Scyther landed.

The green mantis only had time to Pursuit of there before and explosion occurred as Charge Beam met Aura Sphere. Scyther appeared at Zebstrika's flank and rammed into it cloaked in just dark energies before he slashed at it with glowing scythes. Zebstrika neighed in pain before glaring and turning away from Scyther and snapping back its powerful back legs in a double kick attack that while it didn't do too much damage, it managed to get Scyther away from it.

Riolu capitalized in the distraction and augmented his body with Quick attack and agility and he ran forwards before he jumped and canceled the two techniques only for his feet two start glowing and then they were cloaked in flames. Zebstrika only had time to look surprised before it was hit in the side by a flaming drop kick that knocked it over with a cry of pain. Riolu huffed slightly but he noticed too late the buildup of energy and he was zapped away by a point blank thunderbolt which stung a lot.

Pikachu shocked many times harder.

Scyther was just standing up from where he landed when he saw a scorched Riolu shooting pass him and then landing roughly on the ground. He turned towards the Zebstrika, who was trying to get up to its feet but Scyther wasn't going to let that happen. He was already damn tired of this fight and he wanted get done with it so he charged his scythe with white energy before he released the Air Slash at Zebstrika. The mantis blinked when Riolu shot overhead and swept a flaming leg at the blades of wind that ignited and hit Zebstrika just before the fire consumed the concentrated oxygen within the attack.

The cloud of smoke that was produced let up and there on the ground was the clearly unconscious Zebstrika. Riolu and Scyther slumped into the ground as they heard the referee declaring them and Ash the winners. The blue and black jackal looked down at his scorched form and chuckled. " _Well… that was tougher than what I was expecting,_ " he commented, frowning slightly as he watched Morgan angrily recall his pokemon and walk away muttering.

Scyther had a frown on his face too as he noticed this but he winced when he tried to move his wings. " _I agree with you. I'm going to talk to Ash and tell him that I only want to deal with Pikachu as an electric type and only for training. Not doing so isn't good for my health._ "

Riolu chuckled again. " _Touché._ "

Ash had a massive grin on his face, which was mirrored by Pikachu, as he thanked the congratulations shot his way by his Pokemon through the bond. He congratulated Riolu and Scyther on a job well done before he recalled the tired Scyther and Riolu walked towards him on slightly wobbly legs. Riolu extended at fist towards him once he was close enough and Ash smirked as his knuckles met Riolu's in a fist pump.

The crowd cheered louder.

Ash laughed in happiness before the sponsor of the St. Anne Tournament approached him holding a black colored pokeball with green ovals. Ash recognized it as a Dusk ball and he immediately deduced that this Pokemon was either a dark or ghost type or a Pokemon that was commonly found in the night. The man presented the ball to him and he took it gingerly. "Congratulations young man! You certainly receive this reward for coming on top today! Now, this was a Pokemon that was very, very difficult to acquire so we hope that you treated with the utmost care and train it to the best of your abilities.

"Thanks, but the real credit goes to my Pokemon. They were the ones that did all the work," he said with some embarrassment on his voice as he tried his best to be humble about it. If he was arrogant, even a little, his mother would find out and she was going to punish him. He shuddered. He didn't want that to happen again.

'The man nodded at him with grin still in place. "Now…"The man trailed off as the crowd cheered even lauder and it made him grin. "Why don't you show it to the world?"

Ash considered it for a second before shrugging and nodding. He tapped the release bottom on the pokeball and watched with growing excitement as the white energy surged forward and coalesced into a small shape. His eyes widened once the Pokemon was revealed and his arms hung limply at his side, as did his mouth and he was pretty sure that his eyes resembled dinner plates with a little red dot in them.

"No… fucking… way…"

* * *

 **And that's done! And yes. I also stole the cliffhanger from Dragonwolf12. You don't like it… too bad. I done really care that much. I'm fucking tired right now man. It's two, almost three, in the fucking morning and I've been up since six in the morning of yesterday dealing with school stuff and whatnot. I'm just going to put the updated move pools and then I'm going to bed.**

 **-Riolu (M): Quick Attack, Foresight, Counter, Force Palm, Blaze Kick, Aura Sphere, Low Sweep, Double Kick and Brick Break. Riolu can use Aura to enhance his movements and keep his techniques activated for longer periods of time.**

 **-Pikachu (M): Quick Attack, Agility, Double Team, Iron Tail, Thunderbolt, Thunder Wave, Electro Ball and Volt Tackle. Pikachu uses Aura to increase his storage of electricity at a steady pace that lets him always stay in control of his attacks.**

 **-Gyarados (F): Hyper Beam, Hydro Pump, Dragon Rage, Twister, Crunch, Flamethrower, Ice Beam and Thunderbolt. Gyarados can manipulate water using Aura and will eventually be able to fly due to her typing using it.**

 **-Scyther (M): Quick Attack, Agility, Double Team, Slash, Fury Cutter, Wing Attack, Pursuit, Aerial Ace, Steel Wing and Air Slash. Scyther can makes his attacks stronger than normal and enhance his body to move at unparalleled speeds on the ground.**

 **-Pidgeot (F): Quick Attack, Agility, Gust, Twister, Tailwind, Steel Wing, Aerial Ace, Air Slash, Mirror Move and Hyper Beam. Pidgeot's Aura lets her manipulate the air currents around her and she can use that to completely nullify wind resistance as she moves, making her Ash's fastest pokemon.**

 **-Nidorino: Horn Attack, Fury Attack, Double Kick, Poison Sting, Poison Jab, Toxic Spikes, Thunderbolt and Ice Beam. The still haven't found out what special ability Aura will give Nidorino, but Ash's suspects that it will be ground based and it will manifest fully once he evolves.**

 **-Ivysaur (M):** **Leech Seed, Vine Whip, Sleep Power, Poison Powder, Razor Leaf, Ingrain, Giga Drain, Synthesis and Energy Ball. Ivysaur can grow plants out of nothing as long as his vines are in direct contact with the ground. He can sue them to sap away the energy of his foes with even more effectiveness.**

 **-Charmander (M): Ember, Fire Spin, Smokescreen, Dragon Rage, Flamethrower and Dragon Claw. Using Aura as a medium, Charmander can mix draconian energy with his fire to make his attacks more powerful but they are waiting a bit to explore this ability.**

 **-Squirtle (M): Gun, Withdraw, Bubblebeam, Rapid Spin, Aqua Tail, Water Pulse, Ice Beam and Counter Shield. Like Gyarados, Squirtle can also manipulate water with his Aura but he can also use it to pull water out of the environment.**

 **Bulbasaur evolved! Yay! Also, I think we know who is going to be the nut job/badass/weird guy of the team, right? *cough* Squirtle *cough* You got to admit that fight was awesome.**

 **In the next chapter there is going to be more fights and maybe Ash will get lucky again with the girls. Maybe.**

 **See ya brothers and sisters and if there are, the unholy combination of both genders! Love you lots!**


	7. This Is Not How You Gain Attention!

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon or the concept for Aura Bond. Pokemon belongs to Satoshi Tajiri and Aura Bond I believe was first used by dragonwolf12 on his story 'The Chosen One's Journey'. I only own the plot.**

 **7/9/2017: Decided to get rid of the nicknames except for Zoey's (Zorua). It was one of the reasons why I lost interest in this story. I'm going to start writing for it again. Rejoice!**

* * *

Zorua: The Tricky Fox Pokemon. To protect themselves from danger, they hide their true identities by transforming into people and Pokémon. This Zorua is female and has the ability Illusion. She knows the moves: Pursuit, Feint Attack, Fury Swipes, Fake Tears and Foul Play. Note: Zorua has the egg move Extrasensory but it hasn't been unlocked yet.

Ash pocketed his Pokedex absently as he stared at the black and red small fox that was looking around his suite with interest and a gleam on its blue eyes. After the shock of seeing the extremely rare Pokemon, even all the way in Unova even if they were native to that region, and knowing that it was know his wore off, he bolted right out of there and towards his room so he could scan it- her- and bond with her. He caught a glimpse of the greedy looks being sent her way.

All of his other Pokemon, except for Pidgeot and Gyarados who were still flying or swimming respectively near the St. Anne, were out and where looking at their soon to be partner with interest. She didn't seem like a young specimen judging by the dark hue of her fur and the fact that she was well muscled. But to see if she was a good battler right of the bat was impossible since she could just be a wild Pokemon that was recently caught, and if her moves were anything to go by, she was.

Ash shot a tendril of Aura and connected their minds. " _Hello there, Zorua. My name is Ash Ketchum, Aura Guardian in training, and I participated in a Tournament and won. You were given to me as a reward for winning and I was hoping you would accept being a part of this team,"_ he said in a hopeful mental tone.

Zorua's eyes widened as she heard the voice in her head but claimed down when he said that he was an Aura Guardian. It seemed like she knew about them. " _Oh. I didn't know there were Aura Guardians all the way here in Kanto. Anyways… I suppose that I can't object, can I?_ " She asked rhetorically with a giggle and her eyes swiped across the room and she regarded the other Pokemon in there. " _You seem like a strong and fair trainer if your companions are anything to go by and you were nice enough to ask for it so I think that I'd like to be part of this team._ "

Ash smiled in an almost childlike fashion and it had Zorua giggling. "Awesome!" He said out loud. "Look. I perform Aura Bonds with all my Pokemon so we can speak like this freely without a need to concentrate a lot like I'm doing now. Would you mind that?" He asked her as he approached and knelt down before her.

Zorua shook her head. " _Absolutely not._ "

Ash smiled in happiness once again before he touched her forehead and sent a pulse of Aura into her. She responded in kind and the bond was established and Zorua was given the ability to manipulate raw Aura. They would see what she could do with it later on but he was almost sure that it was going to be something dealing with illusions and stuff.

He stood up and addressed the others. "Alright everyone. We are going to rest for a couple of days and then I'm going to teach you new moves. I'll be doing some battles with Zorua and the-"

" _Wait. Aren't you going to give me a nickname?_ " Asked Zorua with a raised eyebrow. At Ash's clueless look her eyes widened and she looked around to see the others also giving her clueless looks. " _You mean that none of you has got a nickname?_ " Cue collective shake of heads. She sighed. " _Never mind. Can I get a nickname at least?_ " she asked, pouting as she gave him puppy dog eyes, which were super effective.

Ash gave her an amused look and there was a few giggles and snickers through the bond, which the zorua promptly ignored. She would've liked it all of them got nicknames, since it would feel like they were closer, but she supposed that the Aura Bond was more than enough for that.

Ash thought about it for a second before he shrugged his shoulders. "How about Zoey?"

Zorua mulled it over before she nodded. " _It's not that original but I guess I can do. Besides, it suits me,_ " she replied before she jumped towards the bed and curled up. She dutifully ignored the whimpering looks that Pikachu and Riolu gave the bed and went to nap.

Ash laughed at them before he sat on the couch and leaned back. He was about to go to sleep himself but there was knock on the door. He grumbled slightly before he stood up and moved towards the door. He opened and his eyes widened slightly at the familiar, pretty face.

"Leaf?"

 **-AM: KOI-**

"So... what have you been up to?"

Ash looked up from his food and he stared at Leaf. It was nighttime already and they were currently at the deck of the ship, having dinner. They decided not to go to that even in the main room inside the ship since they didn't want to be surrounded by pompous individuals that pointed and whispered about them. Besides, they were meant to be a few that would give Ash grief for winning the tournament and a Zorua.

Ash swallowed his food and smiled. "I've been up to a lot actually. I have won three badges already and I have been building up my team quite nicely and they are all strong on their own right." Ash then smirked. "I have also beaten Gary two times already, and very easily. He probably still thinks that he is the top dog even now," he said with a chuckle.

Leaf also giggled before she looked around and spotted all of their Pokemon. They were all out lounging around nearby and she was curious. "How did you get them all by the way?" She asked him with a tilt of her head.

Ash took a sip of his juice before he leaned back into his chair. "Well… Pikachu is my starter as you might know. Riolu was a parting gift from my mother." He pointed at the yellow mouse who was napping near the pool and then at the blue jackal, who was sparring with Leaf's Marowak. "I caught the Gyarados I told you about on my second day." He chuckled at her wide eyed look. "Don't be so surprised. We got lucky because she used to be slow on charging her Hyper Beam and Pikachu and Riolu capitalized on that," he explained, not that it did much.

Leaf shook her head. "Wow Ash. And I thought that catching a pidgey on my third day was awesome." She said before she pointed at her pidgeotto that was trying, and failing, to keep up with Skya high above them. Skya had an amused glint on her eyes as she played and made fun of Leaf's pidgeotto. It was going to be good training for it, Ash thought. "Go on."

Ash nodded and cupped his chin before he pointed at Pidgeot and Scyther. "I caught both of them when I spent two weeks in the Viridian forest. Scyther got caught when he tried to steal some of our berries and Pidgeot was attacked by Pikachu when we confused her attempt at getting food with an attack towards us and she was a pidgeotto when I caught her. Scyther wanted to become strong enough to become a Scizor and Pidgeot got in for the food," he said with some amusement. "After I beat the Pewter City Gym I caught Nidorino when he was a Nidoran. He was being harassed by two trainers and I sent them packing. He wanted to come with me after I healed him."

Leaf looked at him again with wide eyes. "You spent two weeks in the Viridian Forest?!" She asked, scandalized. "I only spent there enough time to have a few battles and get Doe, my Butterfree, to evolve," she said as she pointed at the big bug, who was trying to perch itself on Ivysaur's back to try and suck some sap that he naturally produced. The annoyed expression on Ivysaur's face was very amusing. Leaf perked up as she noticed her own Ivysaur approaching them. "How come you got the three starters? They are extremely rare, you know?"

Ash rubbed the back of his head and laughed a little. "I know they are pretty rare and I'm sure that I came across them because some divine luck. Anyways, Ivysaur was the guardian of a cottage that took care of ill pokemon and I helped him heal then and defended them when they got attacked by goons of Team Rocket," he said with a glare on his face that actually scared Leaf for a second because of his red eyes. He calmed down before he smiled. "That was when Pidgeot evolved by the way. I found Charmander in a cave. He was abandoned by his previous trainer and I managed to convince him, with the help of my other Pokemon, to come with me to show him that he got potential to be the strongest."

Leaf smiled at him softly as she noticed that Charmander was speaking with her Vulpix about something. She could only hear barks and growl coming from then but she was sure that their conversation had something to do with fire. She blinked before she turned towards the nearby pool and saw Ash's squirtle talking to her Krabby, making grand gestures and she giggled at the wide eyed and admiring look her pokemon was giving the turtle. "And what about your squirtle?"

Ash noticed where she was looking and he sighed at the scene. "He tried to make me fall into a hole so he and other four squirtle could steal our food. I didn't fall for it and he challenged us. I beat him with Ivysaur and he joined us though I had to capture the other four squirtle and send them home to get him to cooperate," he said with a tight smile on his face. He didn't like to lie but Leaf didn't need to know about Aura, not at least until he told his mother first. He knew that Melanie wasn't going to tell his mother so she knew about it. "And I just won Zoey today in the tournament so that's about it." He pointed at the Zorua who was napping next to Pikachu.

Leaf nodded and her smile widened. "Yeah. I saw that. Your pokemon were pretty amazing! Crany has a lot of respect for your Riolu it seems," she said and they both turned towards the duo to see that Riolu was seemingly instructing her on how to better use her bone and the Marowak was paying him her undivided attention.

Ash turned towards her. "How did you catch her?" He asked her curiously as he noticed Pikachu waking up from his nap. The yellow rodent yawned before he jumped into the bed and picked up a bottle of ketchup that he began to sip with half lidded eyes.

Leaf giggled at this and she laughed when Ash groaned. "It was near the Diglett Tunnel. I went there after I stayed for a few days in the Viridian Forest and I caught her as a cubone. She likes to fight and train the most so she evolved fairly quickly." She then looked around before she leaned in and whispered, "She is actually the strongest right now but don't tell Flower that." She said with a wink and another giggle.

Ash laughed with heard it subsided he directed another look towards her. "What do you plan on doing after you get off the ship? The tickets we had don't cover the trip to Hoenn," he remarked, not that he wanted to go there at the moment. Sometime in the future perhaps.

Leaf propped her elbow on the table and her cheek rested in her hand as she hummed in thought. "Well… I guess I'll visit rock tunnel and see what interesting stuff I can see there. It can be a good place for me to train my team too. What about you?"

Ashy crossed his arms over his chest. "I was originally going to challenge Sabrina after I caught a Ghost type in Lavender but I decided against that. I'm going to catch a Ghost type and then I'm going to head to Celadon and face Erika. After that, I will head towards Fuchsia and battle Koga and then I'll try my luck in finding Blaine's gym. And when I do that I'm going to train for a bit more and then I will challenge Sabrina." He shuddered and laughed nervously. "On my way to Vermillion I heard too many rumors about of how strong she and her monster of an Alakazam are."

Leaf smirked at him. "You do realize you are going to be doing a hell lot of walking if you take that route, right? And that you'll be making a few eights here and there, too?" She couldn't hold back her giggle as she pointed that out.

Ash sighed but nodded his head. "Yes, I know that. But I think is the best. I will spend more time on the road and my Pokemon will get more opportunities to train and battle to get experience," he explained and he ignored the glare Pikachu sent his way and his muttered words.

Ash and Leaf then shared a comfortable silence as they pondered and what they learned about each other and their respective journeys. He and Leaf had been friends since they were little and he had wanted to travel with her eventually but she was way too independent and headstrong so she decided by herself to travel alone. He really wanted to travel with her sometime in the future. He was about to open his mouth to tell her this but he was interrupted urgently.

" _Ash!"_ He heard Pidgeot call to him and Leaf heard her too, only than instead of her female voice, she heard a horrible and loud caw that had her covering her ears. They looked up towards her to see her and Leaf's pidgeotto looking into the distance. _"I can see two black helicopters headed this way almost two miles away. They have red R's painted on them."_

Ash hissed in anger and under Leaf's worried glance, she knew that the two birds most have seen something bad in the distance because they were looking intently into the horizon, he fished out a pair of binoculars and he used them to look in the same direction as the two birds. He adjusted them and he managed to spot the two helicopters coming their way and they were approaching fast. He growled deep on his throat and put them on the table.

"What's going on?" She asked him worriedly as she saw him with a scowl on his face that had her getting scared. She knew that she wasn't supposed to be scared of him but it was hard not to be when he glared at anything with those red eyes of his.

Ash took a deep breath and let it out slowly to calm himself… slightly. "Pidgeot spotted two Team Rocket's Helicopter coming this way. It's obvious that they want to steal all the rare pokémon that are here. The St. Anne is too much of a big target for them to pass up," he said as he stood up and he returned Zoey into her pokeball. He didn't want her to be involved in what he was going to do now. He saw Leaf's eyes widening in fright and he smiled somewhat reassuringly. "Don't worry. I'm not about to let them do anything to you or anyone here. I promise."

Ash saw her relax a little and shifted when Pikachu jumped into his shoulder. He could hear him briefing the others along with Pidgeot on what was happening. He turned towards Leaf and he got a serious expression on his face. "Look, I need you to take your Pokemon with you and got tell the other passengers about what's happening. Tell them to go to their rooms and that should lock themselves in and release at least two of their Pokemon until everything is sorted out. Reach the captain if you can because I would really appreciate the help," he said with a chuckle.

Leaf nodded her head, a bit unsure, but her eyes widened at the end. "The help? Ash, don't tell me you are going to face them head on!" She exclaimed forcefully as she stood up and got a defiant expression on her face.

Ash nodded his head and he noticed Riolu quickly taking a position by his side. "Yes, I will. I need to buy time so the passengers can get into their rooms and into safety and for you to get the captain. Besides, I already go experience battling Rockets and their Pokemon are not that tough. The rely more on quantity than quality…" Ash trailed off and he noticed that he could see the helicopters now in the distance. His eyes narrowed. "We can't waste more time. Please, Leaf. Go," he told her firmly, but with a reassuring smile on his face.

Leaf hesitated for a moment before she nodded her head. "Alright! But you better be safe, okay? I'll be back with the captain in no time at all," she said before she recalled her pokemon and ran towards the inside of the ship to warn everyone else.

Ash watched her go before he cracked his neck, the bones popping, before he took a deep breath to calm his anger more so he could think clearly. He flexed his fingers and popped them by used his thumb on each finger. He opened his eyes and looked at all his pokemon who were giving him serious look. They knew what was at stake here and they were going to take it very, very seriously. Ash smirked and his red eyes glowed.

"Alright. This is what we are going to do…"

Team Rocket won't know what hit them.

 **-AM: KOI-**

Almost two miles away on the Rocket helicopters, the pilot of the helicopter that was at the front had a smirk on his face as he looked at the St. Anne in the distance. He was wearing the black uniform customary of the rockets and a headset that had augmenting lenses integrated. His smirk turned into a frown when he noticed a teen standing there on duck glaring straight at them with an array of Pokemon around him. He took control of the vehicle he was maneuvering with one hand and pressed the communication button with his free one.

"Delta 1A here. We might have a problem, Delta 2B," He spoke into the communication device with annoyance flickering on his voice. He hated problems and he hated codenames even more.

There was some static before the line at the other end of the frequency was answered. "Can you specify the problem, Delta 1A?"

The sharp, female voice at the other end of the line made the first grunt tremble slightly but he carried on as if nothing happened. "We have been spotted by a kid and his pokemon. He appears to have a Pidgeot and they are seemingly waiting for us on the deck."

There were few more seconds of static before the female voice was heard again. "Can you identify the Pokemon that are with this kid?" There was an undertone of annoyance on her voice and it made the man flying the first helicopter nervous.

He leaned forwards and his eyes narrowed as his lenses adjusted to the distance. "I can spot the Pidgeot that most likely compromised us. I can also see a Pikachu, a Riolu, a Scyther, an Ivysaur, a Squirtle, a Charmander and a Nidorino," he said easily after a few seconds.

There was more static and the pilot almost shit his pants when he heard the seductive, insane purr of the voice. He was ashamed to admit that he got turned on a little too. "We will carry one with the mission. And I'm going to take that kid's Riolu, Scyther, Ivysaur, Charmander and Squirtle for myself. I might thank him handsomely if he surrender's quietly. And tell MT to be on standby to sink the ship after we finish here," she said breathily and then he could only hear static.

"Roger that." The pilot gulped before he looked towards the St. Anne, his eyes zeroed on the kid. He couldn't help but feel sorry for him and jealous at the same.

Mostly sorry.

 **-AM: KOI-**

Leaf ran through the hallways frantically as she made her way to the main hall of the ship. Her mind couldn't help but go back to Ash and how he was going to face that contingency of Team Rocket members by his lonesome. She shook her head and began to run faster. She had seen his pokemon in action at the tournament and they were stronger than the norm, even if Ash just had three and a half months as a trainer. She knew that she had to believe in him and he was counting on her and she was not about to let him down.

Leaf breathed in relief when she finally found the double set of doors that was going to let her into the main hall. She didn't think twice as she pushed against the doors and forcefully opened them. She almost blushed as the music that had been playing stopped almost abruptly and everyone was now gazing at her in shock. Her fist tightened at her sides.

"Everyone! Two helicopters from Team Rocket had been spotted approaching the ship and they are probably here to steal our Pokemon. You all need to go to your rooms and lock yourself inside with your pokemon out just in case. My friend, Ash, is going to hold them off until I get the captain but it is best for all of you to get to safety," she said rapidly but they still understood her.

People began to panic and one of the staff of the ship approached her with a scowl on his face. "Is this what you're saying true, girl? Because if it's not, then you are going to be in serious trouble," he warned her seriously as he loomed over here with arms crossed.

Leaf glared at him. "I won't ever joke about something like this! My pidgeotto and Ash's pidgeot spotted the helicopters incoming from miles away and Ash managed to identify them with some binoculars. He is out there waiting for them to hold them off. Please send the people into their room so I can go and get the captain," she pleaded to him.

The man stared down at her and his eyes softened slightly as her eyes began to tear up. He was about to say something her but his eyes widened when he heard the distinct sound of the propellers of helicopters. He noticed that her eyes also widened in fright and that the panic became outright terror. He looked down at Leaf hurriedly. "Alright this is what we are going to do. You go get the captain and we are going to make sure the passengers reach their cabins safely."

Leaf could only nod at him. She took at moment to see how the staff tried to calm down the other passengers before she was 0oout of there and began to walk towards the captain's quarters. She realized that he was most likely on his way to the deck and she hoped to run into him sooner rather than later.

Ash counted on her and she wasn't going to let him down.

 **-AM: KOI-**

Ash stared at the two helicopters that were hovering just above the ship. He knew that he had been spotted even before they full approached the St. Anne and he was sure they knew that the other passengers were most likely alerted of their presence. But he was sure that they thought that with their numbers that wasn't going to matter. Well, they were going to have another damn thing coming if Ash had anything to say about that, and believe him; he had a lot to say.

He had taken off his hat and had put it aside along with his backpack. His wild black hair fluttered with the strong winds generated by the helicopters and he could see his friends arrayed at his side except for Pidgeot who was hovering, beating her wings slowly, above him and looking like she wanted to blast off one of the helicopters with an Hyper Beam. He turned towards the others and noticed the determined and angered looks they sported.

Ash took a deep breath and glared as the helicopters hovered lower to the deck of the ship. He noticed a door beneath the helicopter opening and a ladder fluttered out with a flourish. He tensed as he waited for the Rockets to attack at any moment. His eyes widened when he heard a voice resounding all over the place, throaty and seductive, and he wasn't going to admit anytime soon that it got him hot under the collar.

"To all the passengers of the St. Anne! This is Executive Arianna from Team Rocket and we have decided to take all the rare and valuable pokemon for ourselves. You have thirty minutes to deliver your pokemon to the agents we are going to send, otherwise, we are going to sink this ship and we are going to start with the wonderful receiving committee that you so thoughtfully arranged for us," she said, her voice getting more insane at the and gaining an even more seductive tone.

Ash could feel the eyes of the woman on him and his friends and it made him shudder… in a bizarre combination of a good, bad way but he wasn't going to admit that to anyone anytime soon. He instead focused on how the side doors of the two helicopters opened as they lowered even more and Rocket grunts began to land on the deck. When the last one landed, Ash made a quick count and he grimaced as he noticed that there were thirty of them and they were all brandishing a pokeball and looking straight at him with maliciousness and smirks on their faces.

One of them stepped forward but the glares on the faces of his team were enough to detract him from getting closer. "Okay kid you've got two options: You give us your pokémon right now and let us through or we beat your pokemon up, take them, kill you and then we go take the rest of the pokemon here. It's your choice," he said with an evil smirk on his face and it was matched by the other twenty-nine agents.

Ash glared at him and his eyes glowed red, making the members of Team Rocket lose their smirks and share a nervous glance. Before they could react, Ash formed an Aura Sphere in between his palms and fired it at the grunt that had stepped forward, nailing him in the chest and sending him flying overhead of the other twenty nine agents and into the water below. They had seen the blood coming out of his mouth as he flew and they knew that he at least had broken a few ribs.

The members of Team Rocket all glared at Ash before they released their pokeballs. Ash grimaced and scowled when he noticed that all the Pokemon they released were fully evolved, but they didn't look that strong since they were rarely trained and were only taught some moves. Ash noticed how the fearow, crobat and honchkrow shot into the sky and they were followed by Pidgeot, who had a fierce glare on her face. Ash almost felt sorry for them.

Ash then noticed the married of other pokemon which included arbok, weezing, hypno, golem, muk, venomoth and houndoom made to charge towards his friends and they capitalized on this and directed them to the many battlefields that littered the deck of the ship and the insane battle instinct of the Rocket pokemon, which weren't curved out of them for some reason, made them follow Ash's pokemon blindly, disregarding the command of the Rocket grunts.

"Those fucking idiotic beasts," one of them said before he shrugged his shoulders and made to run towards the entrance of the quarters of the ship but he was sorely disappointed when something smacked him on the temple with enough force to render him unconscious.

The other rockets stood dumbfounded as they watched Ash standing in front of them, and he had moved so fast that they didn't realize when he did it. He was holding two short, blue glowing staffs on his hands, one of them hung loosely on his left hand and the other rested on his right shoulder. The Rockets took a step back in fright when they noticed the shadow cast over his glowing eyes and said eyes glowed eve more brightly, spelling doom for them.

Ash then uttered the five words that would go down in history as the words then turned him into the boogeyman and the bane of Team Rocket.

"The Aura is with Me."

He closed his eyes.

And pounced.

 **-AM: KOI-**

Pidgeot glared hot daggers at her opponents who were also glaring back at her with primal hatred. She scoffed at how unsophisticated they looked and raised her beak at them. She knew that she had to deal with the crobat first as he was the most annoying but the three fearow and two honchkrow were likely going to cause some issues for her. She decided that her best bet was to separate them and pick them one by one. She was faster, stronger and bigger than them but she was not about to underestimated their numbers.

" _Lesser birds like you are not worthy of my attention but you put my trainer and the innocent people and pokemon on this ship in danger so I am going to take care of you,_ " she told them and if she could, she would've smirked as their glares intensified before they charged towards her.

Concentrating on her Aura, her eyes glowed white as winds began to circle generated beneath her fluttering wings. This was a technique she devised as she messed around with the nature of her Aura. It was basically a twister attack, albeit more versatile and powerful since she didn't need to use her beak as a medium to charge up the attack. In less than two seconds the vortexes of winds were created and she launched them at her opponents with pinpoint accuracy.

They tried to dodge the two tornados that were as wide as Pidgeot's wing spawn but they were only partially successful and they were all buffeted away from the other. Pidgeot capitalized on this and in a second she enhanced her body with the power of quick attack and agility before she created an air bubble around her with tailwind before she shot directly at the crobat who was corkscrewing as it tried to regain balance.

Pidgeot grimaced as she noticed that it got its bearings just before she reached it and it fired a supersonic at her. They were, however, surprised when she didn't hear anything and she smirked at the wide eyed look as it tried another supersonic but it once again failed. She deduced that it had probably something to do with their air bubble round her but she wasn't going to take a horse's gift in the mouse so she accelerated even further and her wings glowed a metallic white before she rammed into the crobat. It gave a pained screech before it pummeled to the down towards the deck of the ship like a sack of potatoes.

She looked on haughtily but she didn't have time to celebrate as one of the fearow came towards here surrounded in white streaks and its beak was spinning. She grimaced at the thought of that attack and how it was possible for that to happen, Drill peck was certainly a bizarre move and it was so barbaric that she wasn't going to even try learning it. She shrugged and her wings got a metallic shine before she crossed them in front of her, using her power over the air currents to keep her afloat.

Fearow rammed into her and Pidgeot flinched as she was pushed back by the sheer momentum and force of the attack but she wasn't hurt due to her defending herself with Steel Wing and using it as a shield. Her eyes shone with glee as the fearow's eyes widened just before she raised her wing over their heads and brought it down on the offending bird's crest send it tumbling towards the ground. Her eyes glowed white and the air bubble rippled for a moment before an air slash was fired from it and it hit the fearow, slashing its back, and rendering it unconscious as it fell.

Her keen eyes then noticed the two honchkrow a distance away from her and one of them shot a shadow ball in her direction and the other one charged a dark pulse before it was fired at her. Pidgeot narrowed her eyes and she concentrated on her next action. The air bubble around her expanded and the winds became more prominent, creating a cocoon of swirling winds around her just in time for the dark pulse and shadow ball to reach her position and they exploded.

That didn't even generate smoke as it was completely filtered away by the strong winds that Pidgeot created as her version of Counter Shield. She loathed to admit it but that nutcase Squirtle developed and incredible technique by accident and she had to admit, albeit with some hesitance, that it was probably the best defensive technique she had heard off and she was sure as hell going to put it to good use.

Pidgeot's eyes narrowed again and they glowed white as she took control of the swirling winds around her. She commanded the winds into transforming in one single twister attack that was twice as big and powerful as the ones she opened the battle with. She poured more power into it and shot it towards the duo of honchkrow who were frozen in place at witnessing the strongest attack they had laid their eyes upon. The two honchkrow were buffeted and cut by the winds as they were rocketed miles away from the ship, due to the strength of the attack.

Pidgeot made a sound that somehow sounded like a derisive scoff before she turned towards the two fearow who were looking at her nervously and were unsure on what to do before they nodded at each other and charged at her, their forms surrounded by the fire of sky attack. Pidgeot narrowed her eyes before she used agility, quick attack and tailwind to augment her body and she rocketed towards them.

The two fearow's eyes shone with glee as they knew they had more power than the monster of a pidgeot they were fighting and she had made the mistake on charging at them even under these circumstances. They were seconds away from hitting her and their eyes widened just as they were about to hit her. But suddenly, Pidgeot made a corkscrew and passed harmlessly by then as she spun, making their eyes widen even more.

And that's when Pidgeot broke the sound barrier. The shockwave was so strong that it made everyone else cover their ears as they could and for the helicopters to lose control for a few seconds. A few seconds passed and Pidgeot was nowhere to be seen. Then, another shockwave occurred and Skya appeared in between the two fearow, who were shocked at Pidgeot's sheer speed, with wings enhanced by the power of steel wing and she spun around herself and smacked them away from her, cries of pain leaving their beaks.

Skya continued to spin around herself and fired two humongous air slash stacks they nailed the two fearow directly and cut into them causing them deep wounds. The fearow, already unconscious, fell into the sea hundreds of meters away from the ship at each side.

Skya managed to scoff once again… somehow. " _Pathetic mongrels… making me waste my precious time,_ " she mumbled in annoyance. Suddenly, her eyes widened and she turned towards the helicopters and she noticed something in the hands of a red haired woman, most likely the one that spoke to them, and they narrowed again.

" _Oh no you don't._ "

 **-AM: KOI-**

Ivysaur and Nidorino had a serious expression on their faces face as they glared at the three golems, the hypno and the venomoth that stood before them in one of the battlefields of the deck of the ship. Ivysaur could see the smirk on their faces and the maliciousness in their eyes and he knew that while he held the type advantage, it was not going to mean anything if he didn't take this seriously. He was going to make sure that this three didn't pass. He was going to protect everyone else.

Nidorino sent a glance towards his partner for this. _"Are you sure we are not over our head here?"_ He asked with some trepidation. The hypno could spell deep trouble to them if they didn't got rid of it first and the golem looked nasty enough that they were slightly intimidating. He began to build up his energy nonetheless.

Forest shook his head as he too began to build up his Aura. _"I'm certain that we can win this. Make sure to keep them away with long range attack and I'll take care of them. We need to get rid of that hypno first!"_ Declared Ivysaur before his eyes glowed green and he shoved two of his vines into the rich soil of the battlefield.

The three golems roared before they tucked their limbs into their rocky, round bodies and pushed forward so they were now rolling at fast speeds towards Ivysaur and Nidorino. The poison pin pokémon opened his maw and shot an ice beam at the golem on the left and he managed to stop its momentum but he was forced to jump back as he saw the hypno aiming its pendulum at him. He saw the earth where he was standing crumbling and he gulped.

This wasn't going to be fun.

Ivysaur's eyes narrowed and they kept their green glow as he charged up an energy ball on his moth and he fired it at the golem that was coming from the center. There was an explosion and it obscured the battlefield slightly but Ivysaur saw that he managed to stop the Golem's momentum. He capitalized on this and grew branches that wrapped around the golem and it only took him five seconds to sap away all his energy, knocking it out of the fight for good.

Ivysaur then turned towards his left and he saw the only one of the golem that had not been stopped rolling towards him almost five meters away from him. His eyes glowed brightly as two other vines shot out from the still growing flower on his back and he gritted his teeth but he managed to stop it a few inches away from reaching him and ramming into him. Ignoring the heat on his vines, as he shot energy into them to heal them, he picked the golem up and with a shout of extortion, hurled it at the venomoth in an improvised rock throw attack.

The venomoth noticed this and it screeched in fright and flew a few meters higher and the golem passed harmlessly below it. The purpose, however, was not to harm it and it became obvious when the venomoth began to screech in pain as it was hit by a massive amount of volts of electricity that only took a few seconds to knock it out. The hypno capitalized on this and managed to grab Nidorino on a psychic hold and it smirked with its eyes before he hurled it up and brought him down hard on the ground.

" _Oww…"_ Nidorino growled in pain but he couldn't break out of the hold of the hypno and he watched with wide eyes as the golem he had stopped earlier started to rollout again towards him. He couldn't escape this and he prepared for the pain but he was saved by Ivysaur who shot another energy ball from his mouth and hit the golem managing to stop it once again.

Ivysaur's eyes narrowed and he locked into the hypno once he made sure that Nidorino wasn't in immediate danger. From within the growing red flower on his back, razor leaves shot out and they were directed at the hypno who didn't have enough training in it to stop the leaves and keep Nidorino on its hold so it released him and stopped the leaves from hitting. It couldn't stop the branches that grew from the soil that it was standing on and that wrapped around it. The branches took away its energy and the hypno fell in tandem with the leaves it had stopped.

" _Thank man. I owe you one,_ " declared Nidorino as he stood up to his feet and he stood up and fired and ice beam into the head of the golem that had been about to roll him over had Ivysaur not intervened. The ice beam encased its head in an ice cube and the shock of the freezing temperatures was enough to paralyze it for a few seconds. Nidorino capitalized on this and he ran towards the golem and he jumped at the last second and he turned his body so he drop-kicked the golem, breaking the ice in the process, with glowing feet and knocked it out of the fight.

Ivysaur finished taking away the energy of the last enemy and he nodded easily at Nidorino after his eyes stopped glowing and his vines retreated into the flower on his back. " _Not a problem. I will always be there to protect my friends,_ " he said but then he stared as a crobat and then a fearow fell down on a heap right beside the hypno and he looked up to see Skya blocking a shadow ball and a dark pulse with her version of counter shield and then molding that technique into the biggest, vertical tornado they've ever seen. " _Except for her. I don't think she needs protection,_ " he said nervously.

Nidorino nodded and he covered his big ears as he could as he saw her breaking the sound barrier. He then had to do it again when she broke it once again to appear between the two fearow as she slammed her wings into them before finishing them off with massive blades of wings that buffeted the two birds further away from the ship. " _Remind me to never piss her off,"_ he said, a bit dazed.

Ivysaur uncovered his ear and nodded. " _Likewise."_

 **-AM: KOI-**

" _Why must we deal with those guys?_ " Asked Scyther despondently as he stared at the two muk that were looking at them with doe, empty eyes that somehow looked even more threatening than the outright glares sent their way by the hypno and the three weezing. " _This is not going to be fun._ "

" _Umm…_ " Charmander looked on sheepishly as he built his energy, the flame on his tail grew and the air started to shimmer around him. " _I don't think fighting four our lives and the sake of others and the team is supposed to be fun,_ " he commented lightly but his tone of voice betrayed his excitement at the incoming battle. There was a challenging smirk on his muzzle as his flame flickered with restrained power. He was going to prove his worth right here, right now.

Riolu popped his neck and gave a few jumps in place to get himself ready for the battle. " _Alright guys I want this done quickly and efficiently. I'll take care of the two muk. Scyther, deal with the hypno and Charmander you are going deal with the weezing. Sounds good?"_ There were nods of agreement and he smirked, his expression matched by the other two. " _Let's do this._ "

Scyther and Riolu enhanced their bodies with the power of quick attack and agility and punched forward at incredible speeds, so fast in Scyther's case that he was almost making after images but not quite yet. The three weezing floated forwards protectively and they opened their mouths and let loose a torrent of purple, toxic liquid at their forms. The eyes of Scyther and Riolu narrowed as they decided on their next course of action.

Riolu used double kick to give his legs more strength and he jumped over the acid and Scyther also decided to go over the acid but he used his wings intead. They appeared behind the trio of weezing and the floating balls of gases surrounded in hard nerves couldn't do anything as they were kicked or slashed with so much force that they were propelled forward. Their eyes widened when they saw the smirking charmander waiting for them.

Threatening flames licked out of Charmander's maw but he reined them in until he molded them into what he wanted. He opened his mouth and arched his back before he brought it forward and launched a ball made of fire at the incoming weezing. Two of them managed to rise up a protect barrier but one wasn't that lucky and the flames generated by the explosion of the fireball against the protect shields ignited the very flammable gasses inside of it.

That weezing exploded and it had so much force that it broke the shields of the remaining two weezing. The two floating masses of nerves and gasses glared at Charmander as they beheld the unconscious form of their brethren (Weezing were not fatally harmed by their gasses exploding inside of them but the force of the explosion could render them unconscious easily) before they launched two globs of dark, poisoned mud at the fire lizard who managed to doge out of the way practiced ease. He trained with his teammates, all of them many times faster than this cannon fodder, so this was a piece of cake for him.

The two weezing apparently figured that their ranged attacks were going to be two slow to reach Charmander so they decided to charge at him, their intention clear in their eyes but Charmander wasn't going to let them close in much further as he fired a greenish-yellow wave of energy but the fire lizard's eyes widened when they used protect to shield themselves from the dragon rage attack and they kept charging through the smoke.

His eyes narrowed and they began to glow ted as he tapped into his aura. _'Alright… control and focus. That's all I need,'_ Charmanderthought to himself as he reached into his inner fire and inner draconian energy. He mixed them with the aid of Aura, paying no mind to the inclosing weezing. Suddenly, his head snapped upwards and he fired off a frizzling sphere of red, yellow and green fire that was quite beautiful. The weezing tried to raise another barrier but doing it so soon worked against them as the barrier ceased to exist and they were hit by Charmander's attack. Their gasses ignited and the huge explosion knocked them out instantly.

Riolu flinched slightly at the sound of the explosion but he turned his focus to the remaining muk. He had already dealt with the first one and it was currently a group of harmless grimer that were slugging around the battle field. The other muk was glaring at him blankly and Riolu had to resist the urge to cover his sensitive nose. He directed a glance a Scyther and he smirked as he saw him strike down the hypno with pursuit and then a fury cutter that knocked it out.

His eyes widened when there was a loud boom and strong winds were generated that blew the cloud of smoke that Charmander's explosion created and he turned towards the other side of the battlefield and he grinned when he saw Charmander, scorched and panting, but he was also grinning and giving him a big thumb up. He returned the gesture before he turned towards the muk who was content to glare at him until he made the first move.

Riolu's shoulders dropped. " _I'm so going to hate this,_ " he mumbled before he charged forward and used his foresight, quick attack and agility enhancement to wave through the barrage of poisonous globs of mud that the muk shot at him like a machine gun. He waved through the barrage with graceful movements that were awe-inspiring.

Riolu eventually reached the muk and he noticed how it was going to attempt to swallow him but he knew better than that. He rolled to the side and dodged the muk's massive mouth before he shoved an enhanced kick into the muk's gelatinous and disgusting movements. There was pause as Riolu's shoulders dropped and the muk's blank eyes blinked in an almost stupid fashion. Riolu sighed. _"This is going to suck."_

He activated blaze kick.

Full power.

The muk gurgled.

And the muk exploded in a very disgusting and dirty fashion.

Scyther turned away from the defeated hypno, the fight had been easy since apparently the hypno only knew psychic type attacks and he was immune to them so he only needed to break the psychic barrier with pursuit and then slash at it with fury cutter until it was knocked out, towards Riolu and he couldn't help but burst out laughing when he saw the normally calm and collected Riolu glaring bloody daggers at the grimer that were innocently forming as he was covered in the purple grime of the muk he just 'killed'.

Riolu glared at the laughing Scyther and he ignored the second boom that resounded in the air. " _Not. A. Word._ "

That was when Charmander also noticed Riolu's predicament and how he worded those three words. He also began to laugh uproariously.

Riolu could only sigh in defeat.

 **-AM: KOI-**

Pikachu stood in one of the sides of the battlefield with a deadpanning expression on his cherub face as he stared at what was in front of them. " _Remind me again why we have the biggest batch of enemies,_ " he said in a monotone as he stared at the five houndoom, two venomoth and three golem that were at the other side of the battlefield. He idly noted the glares on their faces as they snarled/buzzed angrily at him and his companion.

" _Because…_ " Squirtle started as he adjusted his glasses, somehow making them glint in the night as they reflected a none explicable light, " _We are the most awesome duo in which water and lightning will merge to create the ultimate, most powerful and certainly most awesome of-!"_

It seemed like one of the Golem got sick of Squirtle's speech and it leaped towards the squirtle and the pikachu, a snarl leaving its maw as it reared its fist, which got surrounded by a sharp orange glow, to punch Squirtle with a rock smash attack that looked quite powerful and it was going to be augmented even more due to the golems momentum. The golem roared as it got near Squirtle. That, however, wasn't going to work on a pokemon as awesome as Squirtle.

The squirtle caught the attack before it hit him, the ground forming a crater behind him as he grunted at the force of the attack. The golem's eyes widened and he could see the nasty glare behind the suddenly intimidating sun glasses. _"Shut up and listen…"_ said Squirtle slowly as he used his free hand to create a smaller, but many times more concentrated than the norm, Water Pulse. _"I'm talking!"_ He shouted at the top of his lungs before he rammed his attack into the golem's body.

The golem gave a shout of pain as it was propelled backwards by a huge funnel of swirling water that pummeled it above the other pokemon, who followed the trajectory of the golem until it disappeared with a splash into the ocean. All of them turned slowly towards the squirtle that was now smirking at them and Squirtle's glasses glinted again as he slowly straightened up his position.

Pikachu looked at him with a disturbed expression on his face. " _Umm… dude, you've got to take it easy,_ " he said before he got in all fours and his cheeks sparked as he began to build up his energy. Hey, if couldn't beat them might as well join them. It could be fun anyway.

Squirtle shook his head fervently as he produced some water that began to swirl around him in a very epic and cool fashion. _"I will never go easy on my enemies. They will always taste the awesomeness of my full might! Charge!"_ He yelled before he shot forward, the water swirling around him as he imposed his will over it thanks to his Aura.

Pikachu shook his head and sighed before he did the same, electricity clacking around him as he let his power run wild. It was the best to do this when faced with a big number of adversaries since his abilities were put at a better use when he did this. Besides, he admitted grudgingly, he loved to let loose once in a while. It was awesome and…

He was going to stop hanging out with Squirtle.

The houndoom backed off a few steps and the two golem shot forward in powerful rollout attacks that carved into the ground as they approached the charging Pikachu and Squirtle. The electric and water types took notice of this and one of them scoffed in disdain while the other one narrowed his eyes. Pikachu's tail began to glow brightly while Squirtle's tail got surrounded in glowing water as they timed the approach of the two golem.

Pikachu reached his golem first and using the momentum of his run, he smacked the golem away from him with his iron tail, which was surrounded by arching lightning. Squirtle wasn't far behind and just before he reached his target, he threw himself forward and twisted his body so he landed on his back. The momentum of his run was such that he began to spin as he did on his fight earlier and he smacked the golem with much more force this way.

The two rock types were sent flying back, head over heels, over the quintet of houndoom. They almost smacked the two venomoth but the two bug types managed to evade them, albeit with some difficulties since the golem were smacked away so hard that they became round, rolling bullets that would've knocked out anyone.

Pikachu narrowed his eyes as he took in the situation. _"I'll deal with the bugs. You keep the mutts occupied until I do so and then I'll help you finish them. Just, don't go overboard please,"_ pleaded Pikachu before he shot forwards in a blur towards the two venomoth to deal with them as fast as he could.

Squirtle waved him off before he focused on the five snarling and angry houndoom that let Pikachu pass harmlessly by them as they instead focused on the squirtle. Squirtle snorted before he crossed his arms over his chest. " _Just so you know I beat one of your comrades earlier today and he was tougher, badder and nastier than you guys. Don't bother with this and surrender already 'cus I'mma smack you into the next week,"_ declared Squirtle with a grin and his sunglasses glinted… somehow.

The five houndoom snarled before they shot towards Squirtle who could only shake his head before he shrugged and uncrossed his arms to get into a ready position. One of the houndoom launched flamethrower at him but he countered with a water gun that filled the area with mist as the two attacks collided with a hiss. Squirtle smirked and he decided to use this to his advantage and deal with the five foes as fast as he could.

The houndoom that had used the flamethrower began to sniff on the ground to get a gist of Squirtle's position but just when he zeroed on it, there was a big water pulse heading its way. It was just about to hit it but a dark pulse from another houndoom prevented the direct hit so the first houndoom was only slightly singed by the explosion. There was no moment to breathe, however, when more water pulses began to appear from the mist, heading their way.

A third houndoom charged another dark pulse and send it towards the water pulse, cancelling it out. The dark dog got a smirk on its muzzle but it soon was shot out of its face when from the smoke, another water pulse emerged and it smacked right into it with enough force to send it reeling back until it sunk with a splash into the nearby pool. Mizukage heard the splash quite clearly and he decided on the best course of action.

Letting up on his barrage of water pulses until he heard a second splash from the pool, Squirtle focused on the vaporized water that made up the mist and called it towards him. He had been practicing a lot on how to do this and Gyarados had been a good help on teaching him water control. While he still wasn't as good as he could be, the control and amount of Aura he had was enough to do what he was going to do next and it was going to be one for the books.

Two circles of water swirled into existence at his flanks and he compressed more water from the mist into them until it was almost cleared out. The swirling water at his side looked ready to burst out and he let it do that just when he put enough control on it to direct it where he wanted, and he wanted them to be directed at the three houndoom that were now looking at him with wide, horror filled eyes. Squirtle smirked. This was certainly going to be written in the books.

He shot forwards and enhanced his tail with swirling water as he let go of them, the swirling waters turning into drills that snaked their way at his side towards the trio of houndoom who could only yip and jump back before Mizukage's attack was upon them. The two drills of water smacked into the houndoom at the left and at the right and Mizukage twisted his body as he smacked the houndoom in the middle hard across the face with his Aqua Tail.

The three of them were sent into the water of the pool with forceful splashes and Squirtle panted, slightly winded, but he soon threw his head back and laughed, a little insanely but also in victory, as he watched the unconscious houndoom float back up to the surface of the pool one by one. Mizukage thought the he really needed to come up with an awesome name for that attack that he just pulled out of his ass but that could wait. It was time to enjoy his victory… again.

Pikachu stood over the charred venomoth, which were twitching as electricity cursed through their bodies, and he deadpanned at Squirtle. " _That guy really needs to take it easy."_

There was a loud boom and it rattled Pikachu. He looked up and he was rattled again to see Pidgeot appearing between two fearow, breaking the sound barrier in the process again, and smacking them away with steel enhanced wings before she finished the job with gigantic blades made of win.

Pikachu deadpanned some more. " _She also needs to take it easy,"_ he muttered before his eyes widened when he saw the Pidgeot turning towards the helicopters. He saw her narrow her eyes before she opened her beak and orange energy began to swirl into a ball there. Pikachu's eyes widened and he knew what was about to happen.

" _Shit."_

 **-AM: KOI-**

Arianna was a very voluptuous and beautiful woman that had red hair and wore tight, white clothes to show off her figure. She wasn't a slut, mind you, but she liked to act like one to get what she wanted and to see the flustered and frustrated look on the men, and some women, when she teased them and worked them up only for her to walk away, amused at the thought of them having any chance with her.

She looked down at the 'R' of the sexy uniform she was wearing with some contempt. It was true that she was a high ranking member of Team Rocket, an executive even, but she did mostly out of necessity and the thrill it gave her. She would've been more tolerant of the organization had they not treated the pokemon as mere tools to an end, they did have feelings after all, but she was at a point in her live in which she only cared about her own Pokemon only.

She looked down at the battle royal going on at the deck of the St. Anne and she couldn't help but lick her lips and rub her thighs together as she watched the young man that stood up to them, that earned him many points in her book by the way, completely annihilating men and woman bigger and physically stronger than him with staffs that he created of some unknown, blue energy. She licked her lips. She loved power in a man and this young man, because he wasn't a boy or even a teen in her eyes, had it in spades and it was going to keep growing.

The way his pokemon made short work of the Rocket pokemon as if they were nothing was proof enough to support that fact.

Arianna's eyes shone with glee as she watched and heard the young man's pidgeot break the sound barrier just to take care of some measly fearow that annoyed it. She ignored the rattling of the helicopter as she noticed how the Pidgeot's eyes zeroed on the helicopter she was not in. She knew that it had a recording device that would deliver live action of the mission towards the main HQ and she was sure the pidgeot noticed.

Her panties dampened as she watched the pidgeot charge up and Hyper Beam before she aimed at the helicopter. She almost moaned and her body shuddered in pleasure as her face got red and she panted hotly. Her eyes perked up as she saw a pretty girl and a burly man appear through the main doors that lead towards the deck. She got wetter at the thought of what was going to happen next. She rose up her communication device.

"MT… destroy the ship please," she breathed out in a shuddering, lustful moan as her gleeful eyes beheld the mayhem below.

Power and destruction were the things that she loved and lusted for the most and she felt like causing it herself.

 **-AM: KOI-**

Ash ducked under last of the grunts and used the momentum generated by twisting around the man's guard to smack him in the temple with one of the staffs, rendering him unconscious due to the force of the blow and the man dropped like a sack of potatoes. As the staffs dissipated into blue particles of light that went back into his body, he smirked at how easy it had been to handle the grunts. It seemed like they never had hand-to-hand combat training while he had three years of training in it under a fighting type and he could use aura too.

It wasn't even fair.

Ash perked up and he grinned when he saw and heard Pidgeot breaking the sound barrier to deal with the last of her foes. He looked around to see that everyone else has finished up their own battles and his grin widened as he looked up again so he could taunt that sexy female voice that had spoke to them at the beginning of this ordeal. His grin froze in place when he noticed Pidgeot destroying one of the helicopters with a powerful Hyper Beam. The attack hit it on its flank and there was a loud of explosion before the helicopter began to twist uncontrollably. Ash watched as it pummeled and fell into the ocean before it exploded.

His eyes widened at the fact that Pidgeot killed a person, though they probably deserved it anyway, and his own eyes widened when he realized that he had probably killed the first grunt he deal with the Aura Sphere. His body shuddered at the thought but thanks to his Aura, he was able not to freeze up.

"Ash!"

His head whipped towards the voice and he saw Leaf and who he assumed to be the captain of the ship running towards him. He felt relief fill his body as he knew that all the passengers were at their rooms by this point probably and that everything was going to get solved. But then, the sultry voice spoke up and it uttered five words that will haunt Ash's live for a very long time.

"MT… destroy the ship please."

There was no warning. No nothing. Through his Aura, however, Ash felt a gentle prodding to his mind and his eyes widened even further. The prod felt painful, but not to him, it felt as if the one causing the prod felt the pain and he could feel it and it broke his heart when he realized that it was an emotional pain caused by grief. And that's when Ash also realized that the prod also felt… apologetic.

Suddenly, the tranquil waters of the ocean began to twist horribly and rock the ship with tremendous force. Ash got his bearings with Aura and he noticed his friends do the same, Ivysaur even anchored himself to the ground with his vines and he grabbed the ones that were on his range, before he turned towards the captain and Leaf. The captain was a burly man so he was able to hold his own, albeit with some difficulty. Leaf was an entirely different story.

Ash's eyes widened as he saw her get dizzy due to the sudden rocking and she tried to find support on the closest railing. The ship rocked again more violently and that caused Leaf to over extend her reach. She didn't grasp the rail at all.

Instincts took over as he saw Leaf falling off the ship and Aura flooded his body as he exploded towards her, the mark of his feet deep on the floor of the deck as he reached the edge of the ship from were Leaf had fallen off and he jumped over the railing and tucked his arms into his body as he fell to cut off as much air resistance as he could. He reached Leaf halfway through the fall and her eyes were wide with terror as she screamed.

His arms wrapped protectively around her and when he was sure that he had her secure around his arms he shouted, Aura making his voice so strong that it was carried over the sounds of the raging waters of the ocean.

"GYARADOS!"

The enormous gyarados emerged from the water just below her falling trainer and she caught him and when she felt him secure into her hide with Aura, she reared her head back. Her eyes glowed red with an enormous amount of power, so enormous that she was the only one capable of generating it and control it right now.

She roared.

And the sea was calm again.

Ash took a few breaths of relief as he let the Aura go back into the deepest confines of his body where he had it locked in tight. His strained muscles relaxed and he looked up when he heard the propellers of the only remaining helicopter. He gave another sigh of relief when he noticed that it was flying away from the ship at high speeds. His eyes widened when he felt another prod into his mind. It was still painful, it was still apologetic and full of grief but he noticed that this time, it was also thankful.

Ash blinked when he felt a hand rest on his cheek and he let it turn his face to the side and down to see Leaf looking up at him with wide eyes full of wonder and gratefulness. He smiled softly at her as he knelt on Gyrados' neck. The waters had calmed as she used Aura to impose her will on the waters, her domains, the domains of the Leviathan, Lord of the Seas, and the waters, naturally, obeyed.

"Are you okay?" He asked her as he looked her over. He ignored the way her skirt rode up to show up her smooth legs and how her tank top did the same to show off her toned abdomen. Leaf was thirteen like him, but she was already shaping up to be a very beautiful and sexy woman.

Leaf's response was to reach the other hand and cup Ash 's other cheek so she could tilt her head down and she kissed him full on the lips. Ash's eyes widened before he smirked to himself and responded in kind. She stopped kissing him for a second. "I'm more than fine," she said with a flushed face and a breathy voice before she was back to kissing him again.

Ash wrapped his arms around her and pushed her body into his. He smirked mentally at her moan as her already perky, medium sized breasts pressed into his hard chest and caused her pleasure. This was one of the reasons he loved being the hero.

 **-AM: KOI-**

Arianna gave a shuddering moan as she rode out her orgasm. She rubbed her pussy furiously underneath her skirt and panties as she relieved all the chaos and mayhem she had caused back on the St. Anne. Her actions became more furious as she recalled the way that young man handled the grunts and how his pokemon annihilated their enemies so fast and so efficiently. She gave another shuddering moan as her body was rocked by another orgasm.

Arianna panted hard and her face matched the color of her hair as she calmed down from her high. She sat back in the back of the helicopter, were no one was going to able to disturb her enjoyment, not the there was anyone to do it since that young man had managed to take care of all of their operatives except for her and the pilot of the helicopter she was riding on. It had been a close call, the pidgeot had attempted to shot this one down too, but the Hyper Beam was no match for Team Rocket's newest experiment.

She moaned again as her thoughts went back to the absolutely handsome and delicious face of the young man as he annihilated Team Rocket's forces as if they were nothing. Those glowing red eyes and the determined scowl on his face got her hot just to think about them. She smirked sensually as she brought her juices covered hand from the confines of her crotch and she licked them clean and her eyes glinted with gleeful pleasure.

Team Rocket failed.

But Executive Arianna Grant was more than successful.

* * *

 **And there we have another chapter for Aura Master. As you can see, this story got darker here and I'm not going to sugar coat it. People and pokemon died here. It was inevitable with Ash and his pokemon knowing that they needed to do everything they could to protect the innocent ones. Also, Ash is not going to be all that badly affected and it has to do with his Aura. It will all be explained much, much further into the story.**

 **This chapter also showed just how strong and above the others (especially Team Rocket's) Ash's pokemon truly are. I hope you liked the battles.**

 **Before I put the move pool I just want to say that being skilled and powerful doesn't gathers you the right kind of attention. You saw that with Arianna, who clearly has some serious and terrifying (and sincerely hot) issues. And the worst (or best depending on how fucked up your mind is) part is that she got her eyes zeroed on Ash due to how skilled and powerful he proved to be.**

 **I'm sure it is obvious who MT is.**

 **And yes, Ash's got a Zorua called Zoey now… who missed all the action by the way.**

 **-Riolu (M): Quick Attack, Foresight, Counter, Force Palm, Blaze Kick, Aura Sphere, Low Sweep, Double Kick and Brick Break. Riolu can use Aura to enhance his movements and keep his techniques activated for longer periods of time.**

 **-Pikachu (M): Quick Attack, Agility, Double Team, Iron Tail, Thunderbolt, Thunder Wave, Electro Ball and Volt Tackle. Pikachu uses Aura to increase his storage of electricity at a steady pace that lets him always stay in control of his attacks.**

 **-Gyarados (F): Hyper Beam, Hydro Pump, Dragon Rage, Twister, Crunch, Flamethrower, Ice Beam and Thunderbolt. Gyarados can manipulate water using Aura and will eventually be able to fly due to her typing using it.**

 **-Scyther (M): Quick Attack, Agility, Double Team, Slash, Fury Cutter, Wing Attack, Pursuit, Aerial Ace, Steel Wing and Air Slash. Scyther can makes his attacks stronger than normal and enhance his body to move at unparalleled speeds on the ground.**

 **-Pidgeot (F): Quick Attack, Agility, Gust, Twister, Tailwind, Steel Wing, Aerial Ace, Air Slash, Mirror Move, Hyper Beam and Counter Shield. Pidgeot's Aura lets her manipulate the air currents around her and she can use that to completely nullify wind resistance as she moves, making her Ash's fastest pokemon.**

 **-Nidorino: Horn Attack, Fury Attack, Double Kick, Poison Sting, Poison Jab, Toxic Spikes, Thunderbolt and Ice Beam. The still haven't found out what special ability Aura will give Nidorino, but Ash's suspects that it will be ground based and it will manifest fully once he evolves.**

 **-Ivysaur (M):** **Leech Seed, Vine Whip, Sleep Power, Poison Powder, Razor Leaf, Ingrain, Giga Drain, Synthesis and Energy Ball. Ivysaur can grow plants out of nothing as long as his vines are in direct contact with the ground. He can sue them to sap away the energy of his foes with even more effectiveness.**

 **-Charmander (M): Ember, Fire Spin, Smokescreen, Dragon Rage, Flamethrower, Dragon Claw, Metal Claw and Fireball. Using Aura as a medium, Charmander can mix draconian energy with his fire to make his attacks more powerful but they are waiting a bit to explore this ability.**

 **-Squirtle (M): Water Gun, Withdraw, Bubblebeam, Rapid Spin, Aqua Tail, Water Pulse, Ice Beam and Counter Shield. Like Gyarados, Squirtle can also manipulate water with his Aura but he can also use it to pull water out of the environment.**

 **-Zorua "Zoey" (F): Pursuit, Feint Attack, Fury Swipes, Fake Tears and Foul Play. Zorua's especial ability with Aura has not been uncovered yet.**

 **So this is it for this chapter. I'm going to focus a bit on DEN until I reach the chunin exams and then I'm back to writing for this. It's two in the morning and I've got some hentai and lemon stories to read. Have a good… whatever time it is where you are right now.**

 **Love you all!**


	8. The Wrong Kind Of Recognition

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon or the concept for Aura Bond. Pokemon belongs to Satoshi Tajiri and Aura Bond I believe was first used by dragonwolf12 on his story 'The Chosen One's Journey'. I only own the plot.**

* * *

" _The Aura is With Me."_

Giovanni Marshall was a person that, at first view, looked like he couldn't even be bothered to be afraid. With his sharp features and commanding presence, he looked like the one that inflicted the fear in the minds of others. And it was a necessity as he was the final Gym Leader of Kanto, the final frontier that trainers had to overcome if they wanted to participate in the Indigo Conference. He was known for his brutal battle style and the fact that he only accepted challengers that had managed to acquire the seven major badges on the Kanto Region.

What was less known, but was much more important to him, however, was that he was the supreme leader of the infamous organization: Team Rocket. He was known by his grunts as "The Boss" and only his most trusted employees, the Executives, and the scientists that worked for him knew who he really was. It was just for the sake of keeping a low profile as he didn't want his position being known, at least not yet. He had plans that needed for him to stay in secrecy for now and he was a patient man.

That patience and normally commanding presence was nowhere to be seen as he started at the screen in front of him with widened eyes, full of terror. His hands were shaking uncontrollably as he gripped the arms of his comfortable couch and his breaths were coming out almost like spasms. He was certainly hyperventilating and it didn't look like it was going to stop on its own.

Giovanni was staring as a teen, that looked no older than fifteen years old, decimated a group of grown men and women with extreme prejudice and efficiency. Giovanni flinched each time the boy used his glowing, blue staffs to render one of the Team Rocket's grunts unconscious. It seemed like he was dancing, with a grace the few humans, but most fighting type pokemon, could ever hope to match. Giovanni saw all this but he was focused on an entire other thing and that was what caused his terror.

The boy's hair casted a shadow over the upper half of his face, but that didn't prevent Giovanni from seeing the boy's glowing red eyes. Red eyes that glared directly towards the front with nothing but cold vehemence and intent. He thought that he was never going to see those eyes again, not after _he_ came out of nowhere, ruined everything for him and then disappeared just as randomly as _he_ appeared. This had to be a nightmare. It had to be. There was no way that-

"Sir?" A man that had purple hair and a sunken face asked uncertainly as he stood before Giovanni. He had taken the footage of the failed mission to acquire rare pokemon from the St. Anne before having the powerful psychic they created destroy it. When he saw how everything was thwarted by a mere kid, his pokemon and a Gyarados, albeit a gigantic one, he had rushed towards Giovanni's office and showed him the video. The moment that kid with strange powers and glowing eyes appeared Giovanni had frozen up and looked like he had seen a ghost.

That was… troubling, especially coming from the leader of such an evil organization like Team Rocket.

Giovanni's face turned towards the man so fast that the purple haired man thought he heard some cracks. He cringed as Giovanni took a big, calming breath after he turned off the screen. The purple haired man watched as Giovanni began to pet the massive feline, Persian, that sat at his side. The feline had been somewhat distraught that its trainer seemed so upset but it soon calmed down when Giovanni began to absently rub its head. It purred contently.

"Petrel…" Giovanni began to say and the other man in the room, Petrel, noted that his boss' voice was shaky. It unnerved him much than he would like to admit. "Take the best picture of that trainer you can using that footage and spread it through the operatives of Team Rocket in the bases ore in current missions. Use the video to acquire as much information on him that you can like what pokemon he uses and such," said Giovanni, looking straight ahead with a blank expression on his face.

Petrel's eyes widened as he understood what Giovanni wanted but he nodded anyways. While he was only a kid, the trainer that thwarted the mission already had a team of strong and rare pokemon (that riolu, ivysaur, charmander, squirtle and scyther being the main examples) and it would be foolish not to make the entire organization of him so they could be prepared in case they encountered him. "So with how much caution should I tell everyone that trainer should be approached?"

His eyes widened when Giovanni shook his head. "You are misunderstanding me Petrel. I'm not having you do this so everyone knows how he looks like so he can be captured and dealt with. No, under no circumstances that trainer is to be approached."

Petrel couldn't believe his ears. Giovanni was asking them to flee from a freaking, albeit intimidating, powerful and strange looking, kid? "Sir?!" One could say that he was beyond bewildered and shocked. It was understandable since Team Rocket was not known to run away from a challenge.

"That was an order, Executive Petrel. I hope you carry it out as fast and efficiently as possible. The…" Giovanni paused as he trailed off before he looked directly at Petrel and the purple haired man could finally see that Giovanni's eyes were still shaking and looked crazed. "…future of our plans, no, the future of this entire organization depends on you carrying out that order. That, that _Trainer_ is not to be messed with under any circumstances."

While Giovanni's sanity seemed to have slipped the man, Petrel could see that his boss was being completely serious so he nodded his head slowly. "Alright. It will be as you say, sir. Should we call back any operation nearby if that trainer is spotted in close vicinity, too?" Petrel asked with thinly veiled sarcasm. He was getting rather annoyed at what he perceived to be an exaggeration from Giovanni's part. A kid was still a kid no matter how strange he was.

Giovanni shook his head. "That won't be necessary as calling off an operation just because he was sighted near would be stupid in case he doesn't become aware of it. If he is sighted keep a very low profile and don't call attention to yourselves. Remember, that kid and his pokemon are extremely dangerous and from now on, our best bet is to tread as lightly as we can," replied Giovanni, hesitantly.

Petrel rolled his eyes but he nodded nonetheless. "Very well. I shall inform the branch bases of operations. I will also tell Proton, who is currently in Lavender Town, and Archer, who is in Saffron to keep their eyes open. I will return back to Celadon to keep working with Dr Fuji and Dr. Numba."

Giovanni nodded his head before he dismissed Petrel with a wave of his hand. Petrel rolled his eyes again and he saluted before he walked out of his office with thoughts less than flattering about his boss. He was going to tell his fellow executive about Giovanni's weird behavior but he was also going to tell them about this mysterious trainer. Admit it or not, the boy was a threat and unlike what Giovanni ordered, he was going to tell them to attack him if he was sighted.

Team Rocket wasn't going to take kindly to any type of threat.

 **-AM: KOI-**

Ash sat on his bed with a blank expression on his face as he stared straight ahead without an ounce of emotion on his face. He knew that it was dark outside and he was supposed to be sleeping like his friends, who were all arrayed across his master suit on the St. Anne, but he couldn't even force himself to do it. So much has happened in the last two days that he could barely take it all in without going insane. That may be a slight exaggeration but one couldn't fault him.

After the Rocket helicopter had escaped, he had called off both Gyarados and Pidgeot from striking it since it would serve as a message that while Team Rocket was dangerous, they were no longer on the top of the food chain. There was a new player in the game and his name was Ash Ketchum. He wasn't going to be actively looking for them, that was the job of the League and the G-Men, but he wasn't going to stay idly watching if the opportunity to strike them down ever arose.

What happened a few hours ago had served as proof that Ash was more than capable of defending himself and his pokemon have proved themselves to be already forces to be reckoned with and they were just going to keep getting stronger. Ash doubted that Pokemon would normally be this strong but he came to the conclusion that he had given them the ability to use raw Aura, it was strengthening them beyond what mere normal Pokemon were capable off, like his own Aura was strengthening him with inhuman abilities as he showed when he took in by himself thirty men and women and came out victorious.

Ash frowned, the first sign of emotion he had given off in some time, as he stared down at his hands. After the chaos had passed and the still shocked Leaf was sent to her room by the captain, she refused to stop clinging to him until she was assured that they were finally out of danger, Ash had reflected on the fact that he and his pokemon had killed. He had killed a man by sending him flying with a serious injury into the ocean and his pokemon had dealt brutally with their foes: some of them made it, others weren't that lucky.

And contrary to what you would belief, Ash's lack of emotion wasn't because he didn't care what happened or what he had to do. He did care and it was precisely because he didn't feel bad about what he did that he was upset. Ash knew that he wasn't supposed to not feeling anything and it scared him that the reason he was upset was because he wasn't feeling anything about it in the first place. His only solace was the fact that he wasn't relishing on it and he was sure that if that had been the case then he was sure there would've been something more than wrong with his psyche.

" _A berry for your thoughts?"_

Ash perked up and he looked towards Riolu who jumped onto the bed and sat on his side on a similar position to his trainer and Master. Ash regarded him for a moment before he turned to look around the room to see most of his friends sleeping soundly. Pidgeot had decide to sleep outside because she felt a little cramped inside his suite and Gyarados was resting inside her pokeball since she quite liked the suspended animation, unlike Pikachu.

Said electric rat was curled by the end of the bed and his ears would occasionally twitch as he shifted slightly on his sleep but there didn't seem to be something wrong with him. Zoey was resting on her abdomen by his side and she seemed more than content. Ash was glad he had made the decision of pulling her into the pokeball as soon as he became aware of the incoming danger.

Scyther was sitting and resting against the wall, his wicked main weapons resting limping in between his parted legs as his chest rhythmically rose and fell in his sleep. Next to him was Nidorino who was on a similar position to Zoey's except that he was on the soft carpet of the floor.

Ash turned towards the aquarium and snorted in slight amusement as he saw Squirtle's shell right in the middle of it. Thankfully water type pokemon could breathe both air and water to survive so there was no problem with Squirtle sleeping there. Right in front of the Aquarium was Ivysaur who was resting on his belly with his legs supporting his body comfortably. Ash then turned towards Charmander, who was sprawled face down on the floor and snoring loudly. His flaming tail was perched up on a small stool so was to keep it from igniting something in accident.

He was glad they weren't affected for what they had to do some of the Pokemon they had battled.

" _Am I right to think that you are like that because you are not feeling bad about killing?"_

Ash turned sharply towards Riolu who was looking back at him solemnly. "How do you know that? I haven't shared my thoughts on the matter through the bond. I made sure of that."

Riolu smiled sadly, which looked slightly odd on his canine face. _"I know because the 'problem' has to do with Aura and who was it that thought you how to use Aura?"_ A more normal smirk appeared on Riolu's face at Ash's embarrassed look and he nodded. _"Anyways. The reason why you are not feeling like shit about it or why you aren't relishing it is rather simply. Aura is filtering those emotions out of your psyche."_

Ash's eyes widened and he sat up straighter. "What do you mean by that?"

" _In the past, Aura Guardians had to do a lot of terrible, terrible things to keep the balance of the world, which was threatened more often than what everyone was comfortable with by the way, and almost all of them stopped doing their duties thinking that they were worse than the people they stopped for causing death and destruction. And while they did cause death and destruction, the motive was different, even if the acts in their essence were the same, but that made all the difference. Today you killed. But you didn't kill trying to harm. You killed trying to proterct innocent people and Pokemon. That is what means to be an Aura Guardian: to protect the innocent and the balance of the world no matter what it takes."_

Ash nodded his head slowly. "I get that. And I guess I can understand the reasoning and I agree with it now that you have explained it to me. But what does it have to do with me not feeling bad about killing?"

Riolu shifted slightly to look at Ash's red eyes. _"Because almost every Aura Guardian couldn't deal with the things they had to do, the world was almost left without an Aura Guardian, the stories about what they did, left by previous Aura Guardian to their successors, discouraging prospect Guardians from becoming one so Arceus modified Aura to affect the mind of their wielders when they began to doubt themselves and the path they have taken so they could think about it logically. You may think that it is manipulating you but the only thing it does is take away the feelings that would've clouded your judgment when time came for you to make a decision."_

Ash looked at Riolu with incredulous eyes at the new information. It did feel as if his own Aura was manipulating him to keep going forward no matter what but truth to be told.. it was actually an advantage. Ash admitted to himself that for a fleeting moment he contemplated on going back home and help his mother fully with research and that was when everything suddenly became so dull and he began to think about what he had done and how it was going to affect him, or how it didn't affect him more precisely.

And Ash wanted to keep going forward no matter what. He wanted to keep protecting people, now even more that he realized that Team Rocket weren't above mass murdering if it meant advancement in their plans, whatever the fuck those plans were. They needed to be stopped. And Ash couldn't let the work solely to the League and the G-Men anymore. They were passive and only acted when Team Rocket acted first.

There needed to be a proactive force focused on stopping Team Rocket. They were a threat both to human and Pokemon alike. Ash's eyes hardened. Yes. He was going to be that force. He had the skills and power to do so. He was not defenseless. He was a force to be reckoned with and he only had growth ahead of him and he was better putting that strength onto something good and productive.

Riolu grinned when he saw the familiar determination shining on his Master's eyes. But there was something different this time. Before Ash's determination, while noticeable, was overshadowed by his intelligence and talent. Now his determination matched those traits and burned in his eyes hotter than Charmander's tail flame and it had nothing to do with Aura this time around. _"I take it that you have made your choice."_

Ash nodded resolutely and smirked. "I have."

Riolu smirked. _"Pikachu isn't going to like the increased training time and intensity."_

"Not one bit."

 **-AM: KOI-**

The next morning Ash stood with Leaf and the Captain watching as police boats took away the surviving Rocket grunts and their Pokemon. The grunts will be taken into custody in Vermillion City where they will be questioned by Lt. Surge, who was quite famous for being ruthless against criminals. The Pokemon will be taken by the League where they will rehabilitated and possibly reintegrated into their natural habits or given to other trainer that could take care of them. That was another good thing that had come out of the whole ordeal.

"That's the last of them," commented the Captain as he saw another batch of grunts being forced to board the police boats, the bearded man grinned when some Rockets turned towards them with glares only to begin shaking in fear when they caught sight of Ash. "You sure did a number on them lad. How were you able to do it by your lonesome though?"

Ash turned towards the older man and shrugged one shoulder since Leaf was hugging one of his arm tightly, not that he complained. "My Pokemon did most of the work really. They are way stronger than what their appearance would suggest, exceptions being my pidgeot and my gyarados obviously. But I have to at least admit that being taught how to fight by fighting types didn't hurt my ability to defend myself." Ash brought up his free hand and made a fist and smirked. "I can pack quite the punch I've been told."

Ash ignored the many snorts inside his mind and focused on the Captain who nodded in understanding. "I see. How old are you, anyways?"

"Twelve. I'll be thirteen in a few months though."

"I am thirteen already."

The Captain's eyes widened. "Truly. I would've thought you were fifteen at least." He motioned towards the content Leaf pressing her body into his arm. "Her too."

Ash looked at Leaf, who smiled at him, before he shrugged. "We ate our fruits and vegetables."

The Captain snorted. "You don't say." He then got serious and turned towards Ash and inclined his head deeply in gratitude. "No matter. You have my deepest thanks, Ash Ketchum. Without you here I doubt we would've been able to see the attack coming and defend the ship and its occupants as effectively as you did. There is no way for me to truly thank you but please accept a monetary transaction from the Anne Shipment Company. It doesn't compare to what you have done and what you have prevented but it is the least we can do."

Ash and Leaf turned towards the captain and Ash frantically waved his hand. "None of that, sir! I didn't save the ship expecting something like that! It isn't necessary! Besides I'm pretty well off and I make good money being a trainer so please don't do that!"

The Captain narrowed his eyes. "I must insist. You have done selflessly a protection service that the League would've charged a fortune for. You put yourself in danger for people you didn't even know and people that were even rude and aggravating to you for winning the tournament. You have earned and you deserve the money."

Leaf nudged him. "While I would normally agree with you, Ash, the captain is right this time. You didn't have to defend us. You didn't have to risk your life to save mine for that matter. But you did and you should be rewarded for it. Period." Leaf put her foot down in a matter of fact tone.

Looking at the stubborn Captain and the no nonsense Leaf, Ash sighed and nodded in acceptance. "Alright. I'll accept the money. Don't bite my head off."

The Captain smiled. "Perfect. I'll have it done by the end of the day. Please enjoy the rest of your stay. We'll be arriving at Lavender Town in two weeks' time." With that said he saluted them before he walked away, leaving the two teenagers to look at the gentle waves that crashed against the ship as it moved.

A few minutes later, Ash turned towards Leaf, a nervous smile on his face. "So…"

Leaf looked up at him, her soft smile full of mischief. Her smile widened when she tightened her hold around his arm and he gulped, his eyes flicking towards her chest before he focused back on her face. How cute. "So?" She prompted, her voice teasing.

Ash blushed slightly and rubbed the back of his head. "About what happened yesterday…"

Leaf smirked. "Oh. You mean this?" she stood on her toes and pressed her lips into his. Ash's eyes widened slightly before he relaxed and returned the slow, tender kiss. They stayed like that for a few long seconds before they separated. Ash had a goofy smile on his flushed face and Leaf looked very pleased with herself.

"Yep," he said, blushing when his vice came out an octave higher than normal. He ignored the snickering and giggling from within his mind.

"That means that I like you, that I want to be your girlfriend and that I want to travel with you from now on," said Leaf, her voice slightly shy as her cheeks colored slightly. "To be completely honest, I have always liked you and I tried to give you signs of it but you were always too dense to notice. The reason I refused to travel with you when you asked me before we received our pokemon was because I was mad at your denseness. I'm actually surprised that you can kiss like that," she commented, her smile wide.

Ash's blush became slightly more prominent and he looked away. "I've had practice."

Leaf's eyes widened slightly and she felt equal amounts of jealousy and amusement. "Oh. Daisy, I guess, huh?" She teased him, knowing that he had a crush on her. While Ash was dense to her trying to flirt with him, that didn't mean that he couldn't appreciate a very attractive female.

Ash laughed nervously. "Um, no. Remember what happened when I caught Ivysaur?" She nodded. "Well, a girl called Melanie was trying to heal the pokemon that Ivsaur was protecting when he was a Bulbasaur. When I helped healing the pokemon, saving them from Team Rocket and then offered her a job as one of mom's aides because her house was destroyed by TR, she was so grateful that she kissed me and, well, you know," he explained, still laughing nervously.

Leaf giggled, now only amused. "I guess I'll have to thank her sometime in the future for teaching you how to be such a good kisser," she said before she leaned forward and caught his lips again.

When they separated, Ash stared into her eyes. "So, you want to be my girlfriend, then?" He asked, a confident smirk on his face now that he was sure that Leaf didn't regret what happened yesterday and at the knowledge that she had liked him for quite some time.

Leaf swatted at his arm, but nodded her head, not looking away from his mesmerizing red eyes. She realized now that they could be as beautiful as they were scary and intimidating. "Yes, I do. More than you would think of," she said softly. She had always admired him. How he never let Gary's taunts get to him, even becoming better than Professor Oak's grandson to let his actions be the answers to Gary's words.

Ash chuckled and liberated his arm from the comfortable hug of her breasts so he could hug her and press her head into his chest. "You know? I think I'd like that. I always thought you were very pretty and if that isn't enough, you like pokemon and exploring as much as I do. I'd like to your boyfriend too," said Ash honestly. While he had never considered entering in a relationship with Leaf, he had had more than one explicit dream with her as the protagonist.

Leaf smiled happily into his chest and wrapped her arms around his torso.

They stayed like that for a few minutes before Ash reluctantly and tenderly pushed her away so he could look into her eyes, which were shining happily. He gave her a serious look. "Now, Leaf, if you want to stay with me and be my girlfriend there is something you should know. I've decided that I want to stop Team Rocket from doing the horrible things they do. I'm not going to be actively looking for them but if I run into one of their operations I'm not going to turn my back on them. I'm going to face them and I'm going to stop them. That could put you in danger."

Leaf heard him low and clear, understood his concern and she nodded, her eyes filling with determination. "I know. And I agree with you and I don't care about any danger that could befall me. I am a Pokémon Trainer too and my pokemon are strong, not at the level of yours, but strong on their own right. I can defend myself," she smiled cheekily and winked up at him. "Besides, you can always give some pointers in training them so you don't have to worry about me that much if I'm with my pokemon."

Ash stared at her for a few more seconds and she he saw how serious she was, his shoulders sagged and he sighed in relief. He doubted her Pokémon will ever be as strong as his since she lacked the ability to use aura, which made it impossible for her to form an Aura Bond with her pokemon so they could raw Aura, which was the reason his pokemon grew in strnght so fast and were already stronger than the norm. But his methods of training her pokemon could reach incredible levels of strength, which would be enough to see that she was safe when he couldn't make sure of that himself.

"That's good to hear. Now I think I can be your boyfriend without worrying too much," he said with amusement before he grasped her chin tenderly, tilted her head up and kissed her. Leaf wrapped her arms around his torso again and returned the kiss eagerly. Coming to Vermillion City and challenging Lt. Surge so she could get a Ticket for the S.S. Anne was the best decision she had ever made.

- **AM: KOI-**

Two weeks passed relatively quickly and Ash and Leaf spent that time exploring their new relationship and training their pokemon and battling regularly with them with the others passangers. When Ash had informed his mother of what happened she had been terrified for him and she gave him the harshest scolding she had ever given him… before she began to gush about how proud of him she was and how much of a good job she had done raising him. She had also removed the limit on the amount of pokemon he could carry, wanting him to be as protected as he could since by now she knew that her son was a trouble magnet.

Then he had told her that he and Leaf were now boyfriend and girlfriend. That had resulted in Delia giving him a strange smile before she congratulated them. She than had claimed she had work to do before she hung up. Weird.

His relationship with Leaf had developed steadily in the two weeks, she they spent all their time together as she had moved into his room, not wanting to be far from him. They hadn't gone farther than heavy make out sessions and petting, since they wanted to let their relationship develop naturally. Their time was spent mostly training and battling other trainers with their pokemon, and they had all advanced significantly in the past two weeks.

Riolu had gotten faster, his techniques stronger and he could maintain them going for as long as he wanted. Riolu had also decided that he felt like he needed to fight other fighting type pokemon before he let himself evolve. Ash told him that there was a dojo in Saffron City full of fighting types and he and Riolu decided that they would enter the Dojo when they were on their way from Lavender to Celadon, after Ash got himself a ghost type in the former. Riolu also spent his time fighting and training Crany, Leaf's marowak.

Pikachu had also gotten a lot faster, managing to combine quick attack and agility to reach speeds that even impressed Scyther. He had gained complete control of his electric reserves again, which were at the limit he could reach as a Pikachu. The only move of those he needed to master and learn that he had learned and mastered was shock wave, since Thunder, Volt Tackle and Discharge were too powerful and volatile to use on the ship. Because of this, Pikachu was perpetually annoyed since he wanted to evolve, but Ash was punishing him for his recklessness during the fight with Lt. Surge. Pikachu also helped in training Leaf's pokemon by using his electric attacks to toughen up Feather, Doe and Pince, Leaf's pidgeotto, butterfree and crabby respectively.

The only new move Gyarados had learned was Scald through the TM his meter had sent him. She had taken advantage of the amount of water she found herself surrounded by to practice her ability to manipulate water and taste her limits. Needless to say, that Ash and the others were shocked when she told him that she was capable of manipulating thousands of cubic meters of water without too much difficulty. She practiced with this ability to also increase her Aura reserves, hopping that she could fly for long periods of time soon enough. She also worked on making her other techniques stronger and more precise. Ash wanted her to learn Ice Fang, Fire Fang and Thunder Fang and Dragon Pulse and Dragon Tail, which he felt were the only techniques she needed to learn before she was set to face any situation she found herself in, and they were going to work on that once they reached land.

Scyther increased his speed so much that he now left after images when he moved. The only new move he had learned was Hone Claws, which enhanced his attack and accuracy constantly using dark type energies. Ash felt that Scyther only needed to learn the moves X-Scissor, Swords Dance and Night Slash, get more experience, grow a bit more and raise the amount of power he wielded before he could become a Scizor. He sometimes joined Riolu in training Crany, and had given Doe a few pointers in how to use its bug type energies for some of its techniques.

Pidgeot had not learned any new moves since the only technique she needed to learn was Hurricane, and they couldn't risk creating a storm while in the sea, meaning that they needed to wait to get back on land before she could practice the strong flying type technique. Instead, she focused in increasing her speed even more along with strengthening the power of her current attacking techniques, all of which were safe to use while in the ocean. She also helped by increasing the flying capabilities of Doe and Feather, the latter who had taken a shine to her, which amused Pidgeot, who claimed that it was only right that others of her species strived to be like her.

Nidorino had learned Toxic, which helped to augment his misdirection oriented battle style. Other than that, Nidorino had worked on the accuracy and strength of his other techniques. Ash felt that Nidorino only needed to reach full maturity and increase the amount of power he wielded before he could evolve into Nidoking and learn the other close quarters technique that would make him an absolute nightmare to face up close. He also occasionally helped Leaf's pokemon to strengthen their resistance against poison type damage and physical attacks.

Ivysaur had also learned Toxic, which increased his already high affinity with poison. Because of this, Ivysaur had managed to grow poisonous plants with the ability granted to him by Aura, which was what Ivysaur focused on the most, since both him and Ash felt that it would be Ivysaur's greatest asset the moment it reached its maximum potential. That didn't mean, however, that Ivysaur neglected his more generic moves, since they were also mighty useful. He increased their power, accuracy and effectiveness by a fair amount. Ash felt that Ivysaur only needed to learn Power Whip and reach his full maturity as an Ivysaur before he was ready to become a Venasaur. He also focused a fair amount of his time on helping Flower become stronger, who much to amusement of everyone and Ivysaur's embarrassment, had a crush on him.

Charmander had, not surprisingly, grown a lot. He mastered all his fire type moves along with Metal Claw and Dragon Claw and learned Fire Fang and Fire Punch, which were the moves he was working on, though he was also very close to mastering those. In any case, Charmander was extremely close to evolving due to the red coloration of his scales and the increase of body size. He only needed that last push. Ash wanted for him to evolve so it would be easier for him to learn Thunder Punch and the amount of fire and draconic energy he could use increased, which he felt was going to help with practicing his ability to mix his fire and draconic energy. He had also helped a lot with Fluff's, Leaf's vulpix, training, with them having the same type of relationship that Pidgeot and Feather had.

Squirtle had also learned Scald, and with that move, Ash felt like he had everything he needed until he evolved, which was also going to happen soon enough since Squirtle's blue skin had become darker and there were fangs peeking out from his upper lips, after which he would be able to learn more physically oriented techniques, like Ice Punch and Skull Bash. Aside from that, he had worked on the strength, effectiveness and accuracy of his techniques along with his ability to pull out water from the environment and manipulate it. He had a fondness of making water drills for some reason. He also helped a lot with Pince's training, with Pince looking up to Squirtle with something akin to hero worship, which amused Leaf and disturbed Ash and his other pokemon.

And finally, Zoey, his newly acquired Zorua, was proving that she could become an integral part of the team. She was a trickster through and through and her fighting style revolved entirely around misdirection, unlike Nidorino who only used it as a tactic. Raw Aura gave her the ability to use illusions on the environment, not only over herself. With this she could trick most opponents into doing whatever she wanted, and when they least expected it, she would attack with ferocity and precision. In the last two weeks, she had learned Double Team, Agility, Aerial Ace and Toxic, putting her just above to the level Ivysaur, Charmander and Squirtle had before they reached Vermillion City. She was also the one that battled the most, because Ash wanted to get her used to her fighting style before they reached Lavender Town, and she hadn't disappointed.

Truthfully, they all had enjoyed their time in the S.S. Anne but it was time for them to continue their journey. The majestic ship had docked for the day in one of the many ports that ran through the eastern coast of Kanto and connected the southern part of Lavender Town with the rest of Kanto's main land, specifically with Route 11 and Route 13, which could be used to reach Vermillion and Fuchsia respectively.

Ash, with Pikachu perched on his shoulder and Riolu standing by his left side, and Leaf standing at his right, grasping his hand, waved at the captain and some of the passengers that had made friends with them during their short voyage. They waved back at them as the S.S. Anne began to leave port, its horn resounding, scaring a few pidgey from the trees and making Pikachu and Riolu cover their sensitive ears.

Pikachu glared at the ship. _"The only reason I don't light the ship up to oblivion is because the food was nice,"_ commented darkly.

Riolu nodded his head, also glaring at the ship. _"I agree."_

Ash rolled his eyes, ignoring the snickering and giggling of his other friends at the misfortune of Pikachu and Riolu. Once the ship was far enough that its horn was barely audible, he released Pidgeot, smiling as she cawed and extended her wings. She had grown a few inches in height and had bulked up a little due to all of her training, which only served to make her look more majestic than what she already was.

Ash stroked the glossy feather of her chest and smiled. "Hey, Pidgeot, would you mind flying above us and keeping us up to date with everything that might be heading towards us?" Knowing the dangers that he now faced, Ash wasn't going to leave everything to chance and his ability to respond to threats when they made themselves known. He had learned his lesson while in the S.S. Anne.

Pidgeot nodded her head. _"Of course. While I don't think that serving as a glorified scout is the job for someone such as me, I can see the need of the job. I will keep you informed of everything I see or hear,"_ she said before she flapped her wings and took to the air, using her control over the winds to not generate them and inconvenience Ash and Leaf.

Leaf got his attention by pulling slightly on his hand. "Should I release Feather too?"

Ash shook his head. "That won't be necessary. Pidgeot is more than enough for the job. Besides, Feather is going to need all the time he can conserve his energy since training will become more intense from now on since we are in land. Also, fights with stronger trainers are going to become the norm, so he is going to need his energy. Leave the scouting and our protection to me," he said reassuringly as they began to walk north, in direction to Lavender Town.

Leaf smiled and tightened her hold around his hand. "Alright! Let's go then!" She said imperiously, pointing forward and dragging Ash with her. While she wasn't excited to reach the Town of Ghosts, the place she wanted to go to, the Rock Tunnel, was going to be their next stop. In her mind, the faster they arrived the faster Ash would catch the ghost type he wanted and the faster they would be out of the widely known creepy town.

Ash shook his head in amusement and settled to walk next Leaf, ignoring the snickering and giggling, something that he was getting used to, which he couldn't decide if it was a good or a bad thing.

 **-AM: KOI-**

"Sir! The device will be ready soon and the operation will start!" Said a male Rocket grunt, saluting.

"Excellent!" Declared a green haired man, wearing a white and black white version of the Team Rocket uniform along with a beret that had the R imprinted on it. His sharp features were twisted into an arrogant smirk as he settled into his chair. "With this device, we will be able to harness more ghost type energy in order to keep MT under control. That fucking beast has been getting unruly lately."

The grunt nodded in agreement but he soon grew nervous. "Um, sir, shouldn't we proceed with more caution. You heard what Executive Pretel said about that black-haired trainer with red eyes. It was also confirmed by Executive Arianna's report. With the S.S. Anne mission failed, he should be arriving here in a few days."

The green haired man's arrogant expression twisted into a sneer. "As if! I don't know what has gotten into The Boss but a single trainer with a few strong pokemon is no match for my might and the number of Rockets at my disposal, no matter what that slut Arianna has to say about it," he growled, hate and scorn dripping from his voice. The reason for his anger was because of the obvious and genuine interest Arianne had on this supposedly powerful trainer.

Everyone knew that Executive Proton had the hots for Executive Arianne, and she wouldn't give him the time of the day because he couldn't defeat her pokemon in a battle, and Arianne refused to interact more than what is was needed with anyone weaker than her, which was everyone else except The Boss since she was easily the strongest Executive. And The Boss wasn't interested in her like that since he was already and older man.

The fact that this kid had Arianne's attention angered Proton more than what he could put into words and when Pretel confirmed that he was likely heading to Lavender Town, he had been ecstatic. This was his chance to beat him, take his pokemon from him, kill him and give his rare pokemon to Arianne. He was sure that if he did that she would allow him to woo her. Also, he felt that with his assured success with the mission he was assigned, he would get in even better graces with Giovanni, which would be icing in the cake.

Proton stopped sneering and smirked arrogantly, standing up from his chair. "Let's go. We have an operation to see through. And no one is going to stop us," he said and walked out of the room through a set of stairs, paying no mind to the many tombstones that littered the floor. The grunt sighed before he followed before he stopped and shuddered, feeling a chill go down his spine as he heard a giggle somewhere behind him.

He looked back and saw nothing. He scowled. "I fucking hate ghosts," he muttered before he followed Proton upstairs.

Unbeknownst to him, red eyes full of mischief appeared right behind the chair Proton had been sitting on, followed by an insane grin that stretched more than what could be possible. The eyes closed and the grin widened, as an insane laughter began to fill the room.

* * *

 **And after more than one year, here is the next chapter for this story. I'm so sorry but had momentarily lost interest in this fic. But lately, I've been reading pokemon fics that gave me back my desire to continuing writing for this. I also made some changes to the previous chapter, the main one being that the only one of Ash's pokemon that has a nickname is Zorua, which is Zoey.**

 **I'm sorry that this chapter was a transition one, but I assure you that the next one will make up for it in length and content… pause. Sorry.**

 **Riolu (M): Quick Attack, Foresight, Counter, Force Palm, Blaze Kick, Aura Sphere, Low Sweep, Double Kick and Brick Break. Riolu can use Aura to enhance his movements and keep his techniques activated for longer periods of time.**

 **-Pikachu (M): Quick Attack, Agility, Double Team, Iron Tail, Thunderbolt, Thunder Wave, Electro Ball and Volt Tackle. Pikachu uses Aura to increase his storage of electricity at a steady pace that lets him always stay in control of his attacks.**

 **-Gyarados (F): Hyper Beam, Hydro Pump, Dragon Rage, Twister, Crunch, Flamethrower, Ice Beam, Thunderbolt and Scald. Gyarados can manipulate water using Aura and will eventually be able to fly due to her typing using it.**

 **-Scyther (M): Quick Attack, Agility, Double Team, Slash, Fury Cutter, Wing Attack, Pursuit, Aerial Ace, Steel Wing and Air Slash. Scyther can makes his attacks stronger than normal and enhance his body to move at unparalleled speeds on the ground.**

 **-Pidgeot (F): Quick Attack, Agility, Gust, Twister, Tailwind, Steel Wing, Aerial Ace, Air Slash, Mirror Move, Hyper Beam and Counter Shield. Pidgeot's Aura lets her manipulate the air currents around her and she can use that to completely nullify wind resistance as she moves, making her Ash's fastest pokemon.**

 **-Nidorino: Horn Attack, Fury Attack, Double Kick, Poison Sting, Poison Jab, Toxic Spikes, Thunderbolt, Ice Beam and Toxic. The still haven't found out what special ability Aura will give Nidorino, but Ash's suspects that it will be ground based and it will manifest fully once he evolves.**

 **-Ivysaur (M):** **Leech Seed, Vine Whip, Sleep Power, Poison Powder, Razor Leaf, Ingrain, Giga Drain, Synthesis and Energy Ball. Ivysaur can grow plants out of nothing as long as his vines are in direct contact with the ground. He can sue them to sap away the energy of his foes with even more effectiveness.**

 **-Charmander (M): Ember, Fire Spin, Smokescreen, Dragon Rage, Flamethrower, Dragon Claw, Metal Claw, Fireball, Fire Fang and Fire Punch. Using Aura as a medium, Charmander can mix draconian energy with his fire to make his attacks more powerful but they are waiting a bit to explore this ability.**

 **-Squirtle (M): Water Gun, Withdraw, Bubblebeam, Rapid Spin, Aqua Tail, Water Pulse, Ice Beam, Counter Shield and Scald. Like Gyarados, Squirtle can also manipulate water with his Aura but he can also use it to pull water out of the environment.**

 **-Zorua "Zoey" (F): Pursuit, Feint Attack, Fury Swipes, Fake Tears, Foul Play,** **Double Team, Agility, Aerial Ace and Toxic. Zorua's especial ability with Aura allows her to extend her illusory abilities to affect the environment around her.**

 **Love y'all.**

 **The BadAss Writer.**


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